Dancing Dragons
by My Hero XIII
Summary: Kazuma Kiryuin only knew three truths about himself, One: He was adopted. Two: His real parents exist. Three: He has no idea who he is. In his dogged quest for purpose and finding himself, will he prevail to see another day?
1. Episode 1:So Innocent, He Might Get Hurt

Mama drew the curtains open, and the bright sunlight filled my room, I squinted, my eyes shifting to get used to the new light. Mama smiled down at me and I got up.

"Mama? Is today my Kamui day?" I asked, my smile stretching on my face. Mama always liked my smile.

"Of course, darling. I've been working tirelessly on it," she said.

"What does… 'tirelessly' mean? Are you a car?" I asked, not sure what it meant.

Mama started to laugh and my cheeks started to burn, "It means I worked for a long time on it, Kazuma-chan," she explained. I scoffed and crossed my arms. That only made Mama laugh even more. I never got to know my real Mama or Dad. It didn't matter, because today was Kamui Day! Mama always said it was a special day where we bond with these cool clothes called Kamui, and if they accept us, we get cool powers and stuff!

Like a superhero, but way cooler! I followed her and she led me to a room with a white wardrobe in it. It was a little taller than her and taller than me by a good couple inches. Mama taught me all kinds of words and numbers and told me never to go outside without her, Satsuki, Rei, or Nui. But now that I was getting my own Kamui?

Maybe I could finally go outside and make my friends! I've been training my whole life for this moment! I swung the doors open, seeing a green military-like uniform and smiling.

"Is this mine?" I breathed in awe.

"Why yes, Kazuma, it's yours," Mama confirmed. I reached out and took it, and it looked like it was asleep.

"Hey! Mr. Kamui! Wake up!" I yelled, shaking it a bit. Mama tittered and I turned around. I was a little distressed, a new word that Mama taught me. She strode over to me, her maroon eyes shining in the light of the room. She gently took my arm, holding it in her cold hand. It was strange how cold she was. A lot of people were warm, but it was like Mama stood in the fridge for a little too long.

"This may hurt a little bit, okay? So be strong and brave for me, can you do that?" She asked.

"Yes! Anything for you, Mama!" I chirped a bit, bracing myself for the pain.

Mama took up a small knife and cut my hand and pressed it onto the Kamui, I didn't make a single sound that would indicate pain. The green Kamui writhed, the sleeves lapping up the crimson liquid from my palm.

**"Finally! Some blood!"** a voice unlike Mama's or even I's rang out, it sounded like a man's voice, rough and cracking.

**"Hurry up and put me on! C'mon kiddo! Do it!"** It seemed that the voice was coming from the Kamui itself. I did so, and it felt oddly warm and I looked down at him.

"So… what's his name?" I asked, my head cocked to the side.

"That's for you two to decide, Kazuma," Mama said.

I smiled down at my Kamui. His eye flaps looked up at me. They were oddly reddish gold, full of experience oddly enough. Mama seemed interested, leaning closer to look at its reactions and interactions. She seemed transfixed but hid it with a smile.

**"I like the name Kibonochi, means Hope's Blood, you're pretty young, so I'll help ya out,"**

"Nice to meet you, Kibonochi!" I greeted.

* * *

I stood in front of my sister, it was seven years ago since Kibonochi and I had bonded. Satsuki was taller than me, with long bluish-black hair and gunmetal blue eyes, her brow was furrowed in concentration. We were in kendo gear, her hair was tied back and my hair was flowing free, a greenish-black color rather than the bright viridian of my youth.

I smiled calmly, my practice blade perched in my hands, I loved training with Satsuki. She was serious and straight-laced, a born ruler. I turned out to be a lot more relaxed, finding swordsmanship as my talent. I grew taller, my eyes still the same shining brown. We exchanged blows. She stayed rigid and stiff just like her personally. Methodically parrying and countering.

"You're too rigid, Satsuki! You have to flow!" I advised, clashing hard with her. She had plenty of power behind her strokes, but she treated her blade as a tool rather than an extension of her body. I just treated my blade like it was another limb, a sharp and devastating one that in the wrong hands could kill someone.

"That's easy for you to say, Kazuma!" she shot back, pinning myself so close to her. I smirked and broke the clash, backflipping away. We stood across from each other, circling calmly like vultures wheeling in the sky. Our expressions tense and calculating. The room was deathly quiet. I could hear a pin drop alongside the slow shuffle of our feet, calculating.

We both stared at each other, daring each other to finish this. Satsuki raged forth, and I clashed with her again, fluidly catching her blade and disarming her. It clattered to the floor and she bowed in respect to me.

"You're always improving, Kazuma, it's admirable," she stated, her normal scowl being replaced by a small grin. I smiled. Satsuki always smiled around me, but when we were around Mother… she seemed to want to take me somewhere else. What was wrong with Mother and Satsuki? Did they get into an argument? I certainly hope not, but I can't afford any slip-ups today. Today I wanted to go outside without anyone with me, and experience the outside world by myself.

It all depended on if I could convince Mother to let me go, Satsuki seemed to want me to figure out a way to convince her.

"Remember, Kazuma, exude maturity and confidence like you do when we duel," she advised. I nodded, steeling myself, and clenching my fists. Satsuki smiled at my determined expression. Part of me didn't want her to go. She was more important to me than she ever realized.

Something about all of this felt off like I shouldn't have these feelings for my sister… or maybe she wasn't my sister after all. Everything felt off, artificial, maybe not there. I went to the REVOCS corporation's main base around a lull in Mother's schedule. I already told her about my arrival.

The main base was bulbous with a tall tower in the center, like a needle thrusting into the heavens, it was blue, shining in the sunlight. A booming metropolis was centered around it, with offshoots and whole boroughs. I stepped up to the entrance, a lot of the employees saw me walking up and all lined up to salute me. I just wanted to see my mother, not cause a rally. I never really liked all the attention. I walked up to the elevator, my eyes locked onto the button for the top floor. I pressed it, and I knew she was waiting for me, Kibonochi was oddly silent, rarely talking to me. I stepped out of the elevator, seeing Rei waiting.

She was always near my mother, her eyes obscured by aviator sunglasses that never revealed her eyes. She had her lavender hair in rows of small braids tied back into a clump, she greeted me with a smile and a polite bow.

"Hello, Lord Kazuma," she greeted.

"Hello, Rei. I assume my mother is waiting for me?" I asked.

"Yes sir, she is," she answered.

This was not a level playing field for me to exploit my sarcastic charms but I cannot waver. The office beyond was somewhat enclosed with the desk and chair practically dominating the room upping the dreadful feeling of intimacy. This was for my future. Mother was sitting languidly at her desk, her fingers typing madly at her tablet and her concentration intense. I stepped carefully over to the chair in front of the desk, small and plastic, uncomfortable. Mother looked up from her tablet and smiled. Her grin putting me at ease despite the intense pressure in the room.

It felt as though the walls were closing in, as the only light was mother's odd hair. She seemed to fill the space, her light shining outward and seeming to scald everything in an odd spectrum that saw and knew everything. The pressure increased and kept increasing with every passing second. Her expression was still calm. Everything seemed to collapse in on me and me alone as if I was under a microscope.

"Ah! Kazuma, you wanted to speak with me?" she asked, a little too amenable. I was still wary, she could still dish out punishments without me even realizing it. I clasped my hands together. I tried to stay calm, keeping my usual manner of speaking proper. If I loosened it Mother would get angry. It would just spiral from there. Something deep down told me to hurry this up.

"Yes, it pertains to the matter of… letting me go outside without anybody? I-I mean no disrespect, but… I've been training and training with your promise of letting me go once I was ready, well, I believe that I am," I stated, Mother's smile widened and she got up from her chair, standing in front of me and tipping my face up to look into her eyes.

"Kazuma, this world is dangerous, full of perils and unseen outcomes, what if you get hurt?" she asked, looking at me with that stupid saccharine smile and those maroon eyes that were so unlike a human's eyes. Cold and crimson, burning into my soul and making my courage waver. I could barely find what I wanted to say, but luckily I got one out.

"Then I will learn from them, I will learn from the scars the world gives me and use that pain to further better myself. I am not a child anymore, and I do not expect life to be so easy, I just hope you can understand," I refuted, wanting out as soon as humanly possible. The same deep down something screamed at me to get the hell out of there. I had to heed it, or already was heeding it.

I fiddled with my sword, palming the grip, making a tiny sound of the metal tapping against the sheath. Mother sat back down, her light still shining, intensifying, and bathing the room in its glow.

"If you truly can learn from them... then why do you hide them?" she asked, her light scalding my eyes at that moment. She noticed that I fell silent and her light died down, her hands reaching out and cupping my cheeks.

"Kazuma, all I want is the best for you," she said, kissing me on the forehead. I felt determination grow in my chest like a strong fire, a blistering inferno. I needed this. I needed to go. Nothing would be accomplished just clinging onto her legs forever! I clenched my hilt, noticing her gaze flick down to the motion. I pulled back, feeling the cold sensation of her touch leave my cheeks, shaking off the kiss that I swear triggered something hazy.

I stood, turning my back and looking over my shoulder, "I'll go to Honnouji Academy and go help Satsuki, I'll be in the area," I snarled, fed up with all of these isolations. At least I'll be with my friends in a place where I don't have to be the dutiful son. One place that held the truth to my origins. I had to find out who I was, being a mystery even to myself wasn't my idea of how to live my life.

I didn't notice the odd stare she gave me, almost a pained one. A desperate hand reached out but retracted. Her eyes still burned into the back of my skull as I strode away from the scalding spectrum of her hair. Away from the light and back into the shadows of the office. I just kept my eyes dead ahead, pressing the button to the elevator like a madman.

More than that, I clenched my hilt tightly, breathing like I ran a marathon. My grip on it was tight, and if I was any stronger I'd probably bend it.

When it finally lowered down to the ground floor.

I could breathe again.

* * *

Honnouji Academy was the brainchild of Satsuki, for an unknown purpose. It was a dog-eat-dog world here, and I had my Quick Draw Blade, Kouheisei. Kibonochi was on me, and I shouldered my blade, whistling cheerily. It was a huge monolith overlooking a city of slums, apartments, and villas all owned by the students who went to the Academy and their families.

It was a place I wanted to be apart of. Especially since Mother's vice-grip on me had tightened. I was surprised that she even let me come here. She'd always been the one to toss me inside at the slightest hint of anything she deemed dangerous while Satsuki was the shown off one. Where Satsuki got all the love and adoration from the masses but I was the one who was given all the attention and love from Mother.

As I walked, I saw the slums in disarray. Children bumming out in the streets and various other folk scurrying about like fleas on a dog. I sighed and boarded the rusty tram up to the top level of Hanno City. Slowly the slums gave way to apartments, and apartments to spacious villas where the high brass of the city lived. I scoffed. I didn't like it. If Satsuki was encouraging others to rise through the ranks, then why make the gaps so large?

The tram jerked to a stop. I stepped out and nodded to the operator, who hurriedly saluted me in a mad scramble. I smiled and waved a little bit, striding towards the courtyard calmly and with grace. Kibonochi snapped open an eye and lazily closed it again. He didn't seem too wary until we heard a loud boom and his eyes snapped open, rustling against me lightly.

I saw someone being pursued by Ira Gamagori, the tall, tanned, and intimidating man that was Satsuki's self-titled right hand. He was striding easily, his smile wide, and a spiked whip was in his hand. He was cold and militaristic, beady dark eyes under harsh blond brows that seemed to give him an even more intimidating face. The victim was a smaller boy, carrying an odd gray uniform and running hard, I grabbed my hilt and smirked, my eyes focused on his victim.

I started to dash towards the boy, my hand shooting my sword out of the sheath. *SHERRRRRRIPPPPP!* the boy's uniform tore and a small red string entered Kibonochi's chest flap. I sheathed Kouheisei, shining bright in the sunlight. It slid in with a satisfying sheathing scrape and chinking sound, the warm wind blew stiffly. It was over with one swing of my blade.

"Lord Kazuma?! What are you doing here?" Ira gasped, bowing hurriedly.

"I'm just here to find my origin, it is my objective, but I'd like to assist in the advancement of my sister's plan," I stated robotically, almost without emotion.

"Understood, what about this traitor?" Ira asked, roughly picking up the smaller boy and thrusting him towards me.

He was shaking, scared that I'd hurt him, "Let's talk," I stated, pulling off Kibonochi's coat and wrapping it around him.

"Th-thanks!" the kid squealed.

"You'll find that I am far kinder than my sister," I sighed, leading the boy inside behind me, seeing the other students gathered around and whispering. I was making an example of this boy by being kind and benevolent. Rulers must be both if they are to keep their people in line. This boy was named Genki, and he was fed up with being downtrodden.

"It's… it's so stupid! I mean, asinine!" he stammered. His curly brown hair fell over his eyes and he still shook. Not much of a strong kid, but I admired his tenacity.

"Genki, I care not for formalities… but I understand your rage at being reduced to being a footstool, you can stay, but if you test this kindness, I will not hesitate to cut you down," I snarled, my hand automatically placing itself on my sword's hilt.

"T-thank you, sir! You- I! Won't forget this!" he stuttered, running into the commuting crowds of the academy, in a new uniform.

"You're too kind, kid. I wonder why?"

"Kibonochi, I must be the benevolent half to Satsuki. This place is brutal, and it's good to make examples, both well and unwell," I stated somewhat chidingly.

"Mmr… makes sense to me,"

Ira rejoined me, leading me to the office of the Student Council, they controlled everything. I followed him reluctantly, knowing at least three out of the four 'Elites'. I liked the group, and they liked me well enough. Two of them were my lieutenants. Ira and another boy named Uzu Sanageyama. Both of them were reliable and capable and I met them before the conception of the Academy.

"Sir, are you certain that you want to go looking for where you came from?" Ira asked.

"Are you questioning me, Ira Gamagori?" I snarled, my golden eyes growing harsh and my lips downturned into a scowl. More severe than even Satsuki's. Ira seemed to balk at that, and I smirked in reaction to it.

"I will go wherever I am required to find out the truth. For now, I will stay here," I decided, marching into the elevator to the higher levels of the school, only meant for the Elite Four and my darling 'sister.'

The elevator was fast, with only a few seconds inside it to make it to the top. Ira led me further within. I decided to play a little bit of a joke on Satsuki, she was probably stressed with all the governing of the school. She and the others were sitting or in Ira and I's case, standing in a large room. Each member had their own space. A wall of nothing but computer consoles, a training area, a security gird, and an oddly comfortable spot filled to the brim with stuffed animals were the four's areas.

A girl with bright pink hair and matching eyes made eye contact with me, I motioned for her to be silent. She smirked and nodded. I crept up behind Satsuki's chair, my hands went over her eyes and I let out a chuckle.

"Hehe… guess who?" I asked. Satsuki brushed my hands off and stood, smiling, making the others bow and me to just start smirking like a lunatic. She was wearing her regular uniform, and I was wearing my Kamui. It showed how different we were. Satsuki's clean lines and pristine epaulets contrasted the near grungy green fabric of my Kamui, his eyes glowing lazily and half-open.

"I heard about your kindness about the traitor. May that be because you're a little soft-hearted?" she asked. I smirked wider.

"As if, I wanted to make a good first impression on the student body!" I answered snidely. Satsuki chuckled.

"There's the Kazuma I know, all sarcastic and oddly charming," she said, and my face burned with a blush.

"Well, where else was I gonna go?! Back to Mother? Hell no, seriously… I was bored," I sighed.

"Bored? Hm… I seem to remember a certain someone liking my little brother, I wonder…" she surmised, her smile wider and my cheeks burned hotter.

"Satsuki, whatever you're doin' Stop, please," I mewed. How could she know? How in the hell… Nonon you bitch! The pink-haired girl felt my gaze pierce her like a hot knife through butter. Nonon glanced over at my expression and shook her head no. So it wasn't her. The boy with dark green hair and silver eyes named Uzu was snickering the whole time. I just wanted to leave at this point.

I turned and started to march away, my embarrassment reaching levels of impossibility. I was just about to leave when...

"Kazuma!" Satsuki called.

"What?" I snarled back, not bothering to turn around.

I turned anyway, seeing Satsuki, grinning like a criminal and laughing a bit to herself.

"Just kidding with you on that, you're a pretty guarded person, I'll concede that," Satsuki giggled, her smile wide and making my heart soar. She didn't know, but Ira and Uzu did, as they were my friends that knew about my stupid crush on her.

Even if she sees me as a brother, I had enough evidence to find out that we weren't related. One: My hair is a blackish-green. Two: My eyes are golden-brown, not blue or maroon. Three: The two of them are paler than I am! I know only those three things, my real parents, and that I was adopted. Everything else is just one gigantic blank where what happened to them and why they just decided to abandon me.

Even why I'm a natural poet with a blade is a mystery to me, too. There are a lot of answers to be found and so little time to find them. I ended up seeing another room, another place to lay my head down and forget my troubles for once. Satsuki did think of everything. My room was spacious and functional, the older I get, the more my tastes become minimal. I only had what I needed to survive. I only needed the bed and a desk and a chair to sit at. I laid on my bed, wrapped in the covers. I needed some rest.

Except, Satsuki came in, she took me by the arm and led me out silently.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Introducing you to the rest of the student body," she answered.

"Okay? So… what do I do? I need to say a speech, right?" I wondered, Satsuki smirked.

"If you want to I won't stop you," She reasoned, I smiled. We both stepped out of the elevator, high above the courtyard below. We both presided over them.

"STUDENTS OF HONNOUJI ACADEMY! My brother, Kazuma, as many of you may know, had arrived earlier this morning!" Satsuki announced, her voice carrying surprisingly well from up here. She didn't even need a microphone or anything like that. She exuded power and dominance like Mother did. People shut up and listened to them regardless of what they were saying.

I stepped forward, my hand on my sword's hilt, gently smiling. I looked down at them. I didn't like being higher up than them. They needed to know that I would be their representative.

"Can I make this more… equal?" I asked.

A set of stairs came down to the ground and I started to descend, my steps cracking down. I stood among the masses.

"Hello! I'm Kazuma Kiryuin! Or… just call me Kazuma, I have no preference," I announced, and the students stared at me in shock. They looked at me like I was some sort of anomaly. I just stared right back at them in slight confusion. My speech started to loosen up, I wasn't around Mother and Satsuki didn't care if I spoke more casually or not depending on the situation.

"Anywho, I'm here to find some answers about myself, and also assist in governing this fine institution, or extreme hell hole for some of you," I said, earning some laughter. My smile widened, this was gonna be cake.

* * *

For some reason, I never once closed my bathroom door to take a bath or a shower, and my breath would quicken whenever I heard that word. Even looking at the dials. I had no idea why I was stuck in that position of panic. All I remember of that night was the sound of burning and cracking wood, and warm arms picking me up and carrying me away from it all. Then I ended up here, with no idea who I was before Mother.

Did my parents love me? Was my name something else? Was I even theirs to begin with? I didn't know and I wanted to find out. I laid in the bathtub, musing about a lot of the questions I had. Maybe the answers were closer than I ever thought before.

Kibonochi was my only source of somewhat close friendship, Ira and Uzu were my friends as well. I couldn't shake those odd bubbly feelings for Satsuki, though. Every time I look at her I see some sort of smile, a more relaxed posture, less formality. Even if I was any different, like my violent self that always shows up when I get enraged or too frustrated, would she still see me?

I wish Satsuki felt the same way, that would make this less awkward. The warm water was a small comfort more than anything, I hated being so weak-willed. It felt good to let loose, to tear up an opponent. To finally feel the rush of someone going full-force against you, holding nothing back and expecting nothing less. To finally drop the facade and become who I was underneath it all.

I touched my back, feeling two long ribbons of scar tissue. I still don't remember how I got them, but looking at how jagged and rough they look, maybe the person who did it to me was having a hard time keeping me still? Then again, who did it? I had so many goddamn questions! Can't someone just answer them already instead of being a bunch of dicks about it?! No, calm down, Kazuma, no need to be frustrated...

I got out of the tub, drained the water, brushed my teeth, and pulled on my pajamas. I only wore the bottoms, because I liked being soft and warm, and being shirtless underneath warm covers felt better than wearing a shirt. Maybe this whole 'finding myself' thing won't be so bad. I'm already well on my way, I just have to play my cards right. I hated thinking about bigger pictures, but I had to if I wanted to survive long enough to get my godforsaken answers.

I soon drifted off, my breathing neutral and my eyes closed. 'Goodnight, Mom… Dad… wherever you guys are…' I thought, finally surrendering myself to the silver seas of sleep. What I saw in my dream was something familiar. A window being lashed with violent rain, lightning flashed violently, thunder roared mightily. Laying beside me was Mother, but there was something wrong, I couldn't place my finger on what exactly.


	2. Episode 2: The Koi and the Goddess

Hide-and-Seek was my favorite game. Of course, back when I was younger I knew that Mother knew all my hiding places. So one day, I decided to hide somewhere she'd never find me. I hid deep below the manor, sneaking into the room behind the ornate door. My endeavor went mostly unnoticed by the staff, mostly unknowing that I was playing a game and only seeing their lady's son giggling and darting through the hallways, thinking himself some sort of mastermind.

Satsuki was the only one who knew that Mother and I were playing a game. So here I was, hiding deep below the manor, watching, waiting. I saw nothing, but I felt something pulse through my head, something that was old, older than me, even older than Mother. I squished my tiny body behind one of the wide pillars that comprised the hallway.

I heard mother's clicking heels rush past me, and I felt a little curious. Why was she down here? I thought she was upstairs still trying to find me. Why was she in such a hurry?

*Tom... Toooom...* something was pulsing, something was ALIVE down here. Just beyond the door. Just beyond the door was the... thing. I never got to see it, but something attracted me to it. Some tie that I couldn't quite untie. I reluctantly forgot my hiding place and crept carefully to the door. Just when I put my hand on the door, I heard Mother's heels clicking quickly, I turned and saw her face twisted into a mask of worry, her hands grabbed me and hoisted me up.

"Did you go in there, Kazuma?" she asked.

"No, Mama," I had answered, easily shutting down into quiet sobs, I didn't mean to scare her. I never meant to scare her. But she looked so worried, she was checking me over, almost panicking. She sighed in relief. She was petting my hair, shushing me with kisses on the cheek, and holding me tight. I sniffled and looked into her maroon eyes, those same eyes that now filled me with fear were filled with genuine love and concern.

"There's something dangerous in there. Something that might hurt you," she said. Her eyes steadily held my attention, her light was comforting and her arms were strong and warm, human. She smiled a little and kissed me on the forehead.

"I'm glad you're safe, Kazuma..." she sighed, "But promise me you'll never come down here unless I tell you to,"

"Oh! Okay!" I exclaimed.

I never saw the key in her hand.

* * *

I liked patrolling the main courtyard of the school. I took today to familiarize myself with the layout of the place. Kibonochi was billowing in the wind. I still thought about that time with Mother. Something was nagging me. Something was nagging me a ton.

**"Kid, your blood is running kinda cold, was it a bad memory?"**

"Yeah, that time I played Hide and Seek with Mother when I was younger, what was behind that door?" I asked.

**"Dunno, but whatever it was, she was shaken up about it..."**

"There's also something that's been bothering me about it, she had to unlock the door, because the knob was unlocked," I mumbled. Kibonochi and I wandered around, seeing everything in one big bowl of sky, with oppressive towers and wide wooden paths were in the inside of the bowl. I was the lord of this place, and I waved to the No-Stars passing by.

"Hey!"

"How are you?"

"Everything okay?"

I was concerned for them, and that's precisely why I asked those questions. They would answer meekly, they were afraid of me due to my closeness with Satsuki and the other Elites. I hope that Mother was wrong about her world is cruel mentality. I clenched Kouheisei's hilt. There's no way that it's as bad as she told me. That's when I came across a legion of One-Stars, knocking the No-Stars out of their way. I grit my teeth, I hated seeing injustice. I hated seeing the strong trample the weak... I stood in their way, my hand on the hilt.

"Hey! You either go around or find a detour! I won't tolerate another No-Star being run over!" I yelled. They all balked and got out of their way immediately. I loved that feeling of making others bow to me. I also didn't like it. I sounded too much like Satsuki and Mother. Not only that, but I felt odd feelings for Satsuki. Kibonochi knew of my feelings for her.

Still, I was always praised for looking older than I was. I looked like I was Ira's age when in reality I was only seventeen. Satsuki was eighteen and Ira clocked in at nineteen. The oddest thing about Mother and I's relationship is how she never referred to me as her son. Always some endearing nickname. I remember some tabloids making Mother laugh so hard she almost cried.

The headline said something about her and I. Almost as if they suspected that we were... intimate. I remember chucking it into the fire as soon as she showed it to me. I'm no Oedipus. I'm indeed close to Mother, but not THAT close. She's just overprotective. I stopped my wandering, feeling my phone buzz against my thigh.

It was Satsuki, she probably needed me to do a mop-up operation.

"Hello?" I asked.

_"Kazuma, there's something I have to ask you, I hope it's not too much trouble," _she informed.

"Shouldn't be, I've been wandering for a while, what's the matter?" I asked.

_"Come to your living quarters,"_

She hung up and my paranoia ramped up to a fever pitch. Why was she in my room?! What did she want?! I started to pick up the pace, running over to the living quarters and pressing the call button for the elevator nine hundred and ninety-nine times, my rapidity a highlight of my paranoia. I raked my hand through my dark green hair, seeing the nervousness in my golden eyes.

I barely had time to greet Ira or Uzu, marching quickly, my words stilted and clinical. I made my way to my room, finding the door ajar. I poised my hand over my sword's hilt. I had something to protect in there. Something that I never wanted anyone to see. I opened the door the rest of the way, seeing Satsuki reclined in my desk chair, her eyes focused on the sketchbook in her hands.

"Satsuki, this is none of your business!" I snarled, looming over her. Her cool azure eyes flicked up to look at me, she leaned forward, her eyes still fixed on mine, her lips quirked into a small grin. She was a beautiful young woman, with many people wanting to be her. Or like me. We were easily the most talked about at Mother's galas. How close we were, how different we looked despite being siblings.

Her long black hair was silky, going down to about her thighs, her eyes were sharp, and her eyebrows were thick. Her smile was a rare thing for most people to see. She had a strong face, resembling a statue of Athena although she was more of a Bellona. I started to have feelings for her ever since we met, she knew exactly how to expose my weaknesses.

She was looking at my art. The one thing that I held more sacred than the sword at my hip. I used my sketchbook to draw what I remembered vaguely of my parents. I knew what they looked like, but not who they were outside of being my parents. How they were connected to Mother, or why I had no other 'family' than her.

I also drew Satsuki and the other Elites with stunning detail and accuracy.

"Who gave you the key?" I snarled.

"Uzu," Satsuki said.

"I knew it," I groaned. Uzu wasn't called 'The Monkey' for anything, like how I was called the 'Koi'. I just snatched my sketchbook from her and pivoted on my heel to walk away.

"Kazuma, I noticed that you don't draw Mother, is there a reason?" Satsuki ventured.

"I don't know why I don't... but I always feel a little sick whenever the notion pops into my head..." I mumbled. That was another odd thing. Whenever Mother would be in close quarters with me, my chest would constrict, I would find it hard to breathe, my eyes would be darting around like billiard balls. Satsuki seemed to sense that kind of thing.

"Mother contacted me earlier," she informed smoothly.

"Hm? Why?" I asked.

"She's throwing the anniversary party for the birth of REVOCS. We're both required to attend. I know that you don't want to but she was insistent that we'd be there," Satsuki sighed. I remembered that I was gathering materials on odd discrepancies I had in my memory that coincided with my time with Mother and Satsuki. I didn't want Satsuki to not trust me. She stood and crossed over to me, her blue eyes full of questions.

"Is something wrong, Kazuma? You've been messing with your sword," she stated. I was currently fiddling with it, looking away and Satsuki noticed, her lips forming her famous scowl.

"I..." I mumbled, "We should get ready! You know, so we don't keep Mother waiting? We both know she gets excited to show us off!" I spat, starting to gently guide her out.

"Mother's boy..." she taunted, meaning to make it a joke. I froze, touching the tops of my star scars.

"Not by choice," I sighed.

* * *

We were stuck in the same boat with the hatred of all these stuck up idiots who thought they had jurisdiction over the company and its assets. I had dominion over them. Seeing the manor swimming with these pompous murderers in preppy black and white suits sicken me to my core. This place is my home. The person who lives here is my mother, they don't belong here with us. Something still nagged at my heart whenever I went back to the manor. I shook those feelings out of my head and smiled.

The reception hall was spacious and laid out in such a way where Mother could see everything, and she was the center of attention... well, for the older ones here. I had to be the attractive bachelor son of the world's fashion leader. I needed a strong partner for the family bloodline to continue. I never actively searched for one. They knew where to find me.

Satsuki was the charismatic one, and I was the hunter, the man who would get his hands dirty. Now here I was, mobbed by the plastic daughters of the city's high brass. Buxom and slathered with a little too much makeup and terrible taste in fashion. All status, no love, or personal attachments. I hated them. They had no concept of natural beauty like Satsuki did. Satsuki was poetry, while they were just dumb limericks slapped together with tacky glitter staples, something I knew too well because Nonon would use them in her reports.

Mother seemed just as disgusted with them as I was. She sighed gently and plucked me out of the crush of bodies. They scattered the instant they noticed Mother. She commanded respect and power, the queen of all she saw. All I thought was that she must've had shady dealings in the past. She had a disconcerting aura around her. Signaling that behind the saccharine smiles and loving glances at Satsuki and I, she could kill you in twenty ways involving her fists.

"Darling, why won't you choose one?" She asked.

"Mother, to be honest, I just don't want to be with any of them," I stated coldly. She traced my cheek with her finger gently.

"You look like your father from when I knew him, you have his eyes and face shape, and hair color as well, but who has your heart?" she asked, looking at my face and other features closely, looming over me. It was intrusive and I still felt like it was wrong.

"Can't say," I bluntly said.

"Kazuma, you can tell me, it's not going to hurt me or Satsuki," Mother assured, her arm was around my shoulders and she rested her chin on one of them, her eyes were staring at me. She was taller than me and she liked to wrap herself around me. It felt so wrong to

My inner self was screaming at me to get out of there. I refused to bend over and take its advice. Mother always did this when she wanted to know something about me. It always felt nice. The still-growing voice in my head was still caterwauling that I was in a bad spot. I caught sight of Satsuki's blue dress and black hair weaving through the crowd and I sighed gently. She was so beautiful and serene, a goddess among us. I was just a humble koi fish climbing the waterfall to follow my goddess.

Mother followed my gaze. I felt her weight shift and she was staring right down at me. She smiled and leaned down, kissing my forehead and leaving me staring at Satsuki from afar. My body acted before my mind could, a loud clack of my formal shoe was my only herald and I walked through the crowd, seeing Satsuki alone. She was looking around and she looked so rigid and closed off. Her eyes caught sight of me and the look of relief on her face was enough to make me step closer.

"I can tell that you're not enjoying this," I observed.

"You're right, I'm not," she scoffed. I let out a bark of laughter.

"You can imagine how my evening has been going so far, and I have to say that I'm tired of all the girls swarming me, I'll be glad to return to the academy at this rate," I huffed and stood by Satsuki's side.

"Kazuma, how can you be so cavalier about what Mother is doing? You see just as much as I do," she sighed. Her voice low.

"I know, I just... I feel this odd little twinge of paranoia, my hand has been white-knuckling my sword's hilt all evening, I keep on checking if Mother is close by," I muttered into her ear. She knew that feeling well enough. Satsuki's hands grabbed mine. A sly smile on her face at my flared cheeks and stiff, ramrod back.

"Let's dance, Kazuma, for old times sake?" She asked.

I nodded, and we swung through the dance floor, her height and general gracefulness made her lead. She was smiling at me, my hands were wrapped around her waist and hand. My head rested on her chest. My eyes closed and I smiled, I could finally be alone with her. Not physically but spiritually and emotionally. We whirled and spun gently, lost within each other's arms and worlds. I felt something slip out of my mouth.

"Satsuki?" I blurted.

"Hm?" She grunted.

"I wanna just run away. I'm tired of waiting for the day I can get out there and find out who I am because Mother won't tell me anything about what my parents did or where they are... and someday, I'll get to see them again, but... I'm scared that I'll leave and you'll forget about me," I admitted bluntly.

She sighed gently and leaned down, "Know this, Kazuma, I will never forget you, you're a ray of sunshine and warmth that needs to shine bright in this world, I keep on seeing report after report that you always keep an eye on the No-Star students and have a good effect on the student body, you shouldn't worry about that, it's unbecoming of you," she assured.

"That's not what I was getting at, it's just... there are gaps in my memory. People who are important for me to know are just blips. While I remember everything from the age of five onward. All those things with mother don't seem right... and it makes me feel paranoid about it," I sighed. I felt something tug at my blade.

I turned on instinct, clocking the offender on the jaw viciously, the man had a pair of glasses on with a razor blade in his hand. He was dressed as an old-timey barber. He was clean-shaven and blood dripped down on the marble.

"Wowza! One hell of a right hook there, kid!" He cried out, smirking and unsheathing another dagger. I cracked my knuckles and glanced over at Mother, she had an amused smile on her face and she nodded at me. I always had to be ordered to fight. I didn't want to make it

"Alright, you relic, you face Kazuma Kiryuin, wielder of the blade Kouheisei, bring me your strength!" I challenged, seeing Satsuki unsheathe Bakuzan alongside me.

We saw that we were surrounded by men with razors and barber clothes. Satsuki grinned.

"Shall we have one last dance, Kazuma?" She asked.

I nodded, my sword hand itching to finally get some use against a real opponent in weeks.

I charged, my overzealous tactics caught my opponents off guard and I slashed through three of their uniforms, they went tumbling back from the sudden burst of force from my slash. I felt a stinging pain in my back, some red threads turned gray and drilled into my skin. I flinched at the pain and I rebounded, slamming my elbow brutally into another one's gut, spinning around to knock him back, a useless flourish.

I back slapped him with the flat of my blade, grabbing him by the shirt and yanking him forwards, slashing through his uniform and feeling the fibers dig in more and more. I was feeling a ton of pain and I sheathed my blade, deciding to fight hand to hand. Mostly to show off.

I dashed, slugging a guy with shaving cream bombs in the face, shoving a can right down his throat. I smirked and glanced at Satsuki, she looked more beautiful than Mother. She was done with her set of barbers. She held her black blade and smoothed her hair, smiling at me.

The only one left was the boss man. He was bleeding and bruised from the fight. His hat was askew. He tried to back up and out, but he was caught by Satsuki, she pointed Bakuzan at his back.

"Welp, seems like the jig is up... but, kid, are ya happy with her and yer girl? I gotta say that you got the same strength as your pops," he drawled.

I knelt, "How do you know my father?" I asked. He smiled, showing off his pearly teeth.

"Can't say, but I know the missy would wanna come in here and kick ya ass, adieu, Young Kazuma!" he declared, disappearing in a cloud of smoke. I stood up and immediately felt Mother's arms around me, she was checking me over for injuries. I just felt numb. Her maroon eyes were wide with concern, but I barely heard or felt her.

All I felt... was wooziness. I fell over, my body feeling like lightning was coursing through it. I was convulsing, feeling like my whole body was on fire. I couldn't hear, I couldn't speak or see, all I felt were Mother's arms holding me close. I fell into a dreamless sleep. When I woke up, I was back in my room at the Academy, with Satsuki by my side.

How the hell did I get here? Satsuki stirred, but the door banged open, showing Ira and Uzu.

"Dude!"

"Lord Kazuma!" They yelled, jolting Satsuki awake. I rolled my eyes.

"Sir, Lady Satsuki brought you back, and you were all kinds of messed up!" Uzu explained. I was drawing one big blank after fighting the barber. All I remember is passing out in Mother's arms. I looked down at a sleepy Satsuki, rubbing her eyes, she glared at Uzu and Ira.

"Care to explain why you entered so loudly?" she asked. Ira and Uzu snapped to attention.

"We were just worried about Lord Kazuma, Lady Satsuki," Ira informed, bowing. She smiled.

"It's admirable, but it takes more than just a barber to take him down," she said.

"Uhm, it takes a little push to take me-" she shut me up with her finger on my lips.

"Shh, I'm speaking for you," she said.

I nodded dumbly, feeling a blush on my cheeks. One thing that irked me the most about the fight was two things. One: Mother stayed back even though I know she can fight. Two: The guy who escaped brought up my dad and tried to take Kouheisei. Who were they? What did they want with me? It also didn't help that I had the oddest feeling of deja vu when looking at them.

In the back of my mind, I knew who they all were. The way he addressed me as 'kid' was familiar, too. How did they all know I was going to be there? I thought that Mother would be enough reason to stay away from the manor. Unless they were planning on offing her and taking me. Or taking me and Satsuki as leverage. Or just me.

I closed my eyes, shaking my head and just wanting to put on Kibonochi and train till I can train no more. That was my normal. That was my coping mechanism.

* * *

"Hah... hah... hah..." I gasped, I had my shirt off and was training hard, the bots were at their highest difficulty rating, and I wasn't being challenged enough. Uzu was busy with coordinating the tennis and sumo matches in Hokkaido. Ira was busy handling internal affairs, and Satsuki was busy governing the school. All I had was my sword and the bots.

Kibonochi wrapped around me, his eye flaps staring up at me widely. He was fully awake this time.

**"Kazuma, your blood is boiling..."**

"I'm fine," I assured.

**"You don't sound like it, what's bothering you?"**

"I said... I'm fine," I snarled.

**"No, you're not,"**

I growled and stalked to my room, "Ugh, fine! The discrepancies in my memory bother me too much! There are so many ticks and fidgets I do that makes zero sense... like messing with my sword when I'm nervous or leaving the bathroom door open when I bathe... not to mention the time at the door, I could've sworn I saw a key in Mother's hand, and my feelings for Satsuki," I sighed, laying on my bed.

"Then the barbers show up and one of them knows me and knows my father? Who sent them? Who knows me out there? The real me? I'm too scared to go out and find him," I confessed, Kibonochi grew warm.

**"Kaz, there comes a time in everyone's life where they have to decide what they want for themselves... I know you want to spread your wings, but you have to know this... Your mother smothers you, she wants to keep you grounded so she can control you,"**

"How do you know that?" I asked.

**"Seriously? Are you dense? She looks at you like she wants to EAT you, and not in the nitty-gritty Hannibal Lecter way,"**

I shuddered involuntarily. I had a twinge of memory snarl into my mind. _This is what people in love do, my sweet Kazuma. _My scars started to burn, and I screwed my eyes shut. I banished the memory from my thoughts, that soft, crooning baritone. So familiar and so wrong at the same time.

"I... I don't know how to deal with that..." I mumbled. I clenched Kibonochi's coat sides, he warmed up.

**"Kid, I'll be here, alright? I won't let her near you, I made a promise to Satsuki, through pantomime. She'll protect you, too,"**

"Kibo, you're just saying that. Seeing Mother so... nonchalant until I went down...? Does she even care?" I asked.

**"Dunno, kid, but something isn't right at all... no mother would just sit back and watch her kids take on dangerous assailants, she was acting,"**

Kibonochi's warm, gentle voice comforted me. The way he could warm and cool also helped. I decided to stay in today and just mull everything over. Too bad Satsuki had different plans. She usually knocked before entering. *Knock Knock Knock* Three sharp knocks heralded her coming. I balefully glared at her, she looked rather concerned, her worry highlighted by her knit-together brows. She sat down lightly, reclining on her hand, cheek resting on it. Her blue oceans staring into my scalding gold eyes, full of scorn.

"What do you want?" I asked, being a little more intense than I meant to be. Satsuki rolled her eyes.

"I was just checking on you, you don't need to be so tense..." she sighed.

"You know I have to, didn't you see how Mother acted during the fight and after? I'm getting a bad feeling about the whole thing..." I huffed.

"I don't know what's real anymore, aside from you," I blurted. I cursed myself internally. 'Nice going, hotshot! Now she's gonna hate our guts!' I thought. Satsuki smiled and leaned forward.

"I guess I do have your heart as Mother says," she chuckled.

"Wha? She told you?! Great..." I scoffed. I had a ton of things I needed to keep locked in my noggin. Just having everything laid bare was going to suck me dry. I flinched slightly when she wrapped her arms around me. I didn't exactly feel comfortable in her arms just yet, something about it made my blood go cold, and my body to tense.

"It's alright, Kazuma... it's alright," she assured.

"I just... I just don't know how to deal with all this. They KNEW me, Satsuki. They knew my father... and I have a gut feeling Mother has a ton of answers she won't give me. What am I going to do?" I asked.

Satsuki pulled me close, petting my hair and resting her chin on the top of my head. I melted into it, closing my smoldering eyes and cooling the iron of my heart. She was just Satsuki, not Mother. She was beautiful in a natural way.

She was still here and by my side. Holding me close and gently petting my hair and gently curling her arms and legs around me. She was humming a little bit of a tune.

To say that Satsuki's warm and gentle voice couldn't carry a tune had to get their ears checked, I was reduced to sobbing into her chest, my eyes screwed up into squinting rays of melting gold. She was still singing, and I was sobbing, letting it go away and hide again.

She was my constant, my unchanging sanctuary and best friend. My feelings were not going to go away, it was no secret that I love her.

I was hopelessly addicted to this feeling, I knew it was wrong, I knew it would take everything away from me, but I love being scared, being comforted by someone else who cared about me.

It makes me feel like I belong somewhere and to someone else that can help me spread my wings and fly away from the past and be able to see the world. Satsuki's heartbeat steadily, a strong forte in my ears.

I needed her. She was my partner and my friend, often being a shoulder to cry on like now. Kibonochi and Satsuki were both warm, and I wanted to feel warm in my chest, to finally make Satsuki mine. I was still paralyzed with fear from remembering that one soft, dark line.

I was scared that she'd make me do those things again, in the pitch-black softness of a distant memory, that line echoed. The lightning flashed and the window shook with gentle thunder. I remember feeling cold. I don't want to have Satsuki do those same things the Shadow made me do.

I was dreading the feeling of the cold again. Satsuki still held me. The shadow stayed in the back of my mind, whispering that little line over and over. Satsuki was warm, comforting, always there. I needed to tell her. If she let her walls down why shouldn't I?

"Kazuma, you'll find yourself again... I know that you will," she encouraged.

"But... I don't know how to deal with anything! Mother always had given me everything I asked for... but I don't want you to leave," I admitted. She sighed gently and leaned back, fixing me with a cobalt blue stare, an eyebrow raised.

"You keep the Shadow away, you don't ask for anything in return from me, but I can tell that you wanted to scream at Mother... you're braver than me," I felt my heart shattering and my eyes were still leaking tears. Satsuki smashed me into her arms again and her voice came out in a low growl.

"She will never touch you again, I will protect you, I want to see you become independent and strong, the man that I know you are in your heart, Ira and Uzu know that you are a strong leader, prove that to everyone! You're going to be a Dragon one day, right now you're going up the waterfall and the demon mocking you is that doubt you still feel, but I'll be here for all the times you want to sob into my shirt," Satsuki continues, brushing my hair out of my eyes and kissing my forehead with her warm lips, sending a pulse of lightning through my heart.

If I wasn't galvanized enough, I was now. I was still going to have to play the fool, but I wanna rise and grab my life with both my hands. I settled into Satsuki's embrace.

'I'll save you, Satsuki, it'll be like Dragon Quest!' I thought, planting a good thought in my mind for once. She stayed with me, holding me close and I felt safe. The Shadow wouldn't get me anymore. As long as I had my goddess waiting for me at the top of the waterfall. I closed my eyes and felt like I could finally rest. That's what I did.


	3. Episode 3: False Hope for the Broken Koi

I had to return to the manor. Mother's orders. I was secretly dreading it. That meant her talking down to me, being overly loving, and generally being a nuisance. Not that I didn't love the attention at times. I just didn't want to leave Satsuki. She seemed to not want to let me go either, her reluctance only made my fear bubble up. What did Mother have in store for me? Her message was blunt, to the point, not much left to be said.

_Come. Home._

When Mother wants you home, you best be on your way. So here I was, on the helipad of the academy, with Ira and Uzu looking ready to flank me and pull me back from doing something wrong. Satsuki took my hand.

"Be careful, who knows what Mother could want," she stated. Little did I know that her advice was just as useful as video game tips. Kibonochi stayed tight over my chest, warm and staring up at me. How could I be careful when the other person is someone I'm paranoid around?

* * *

The manor was easily the largest place I've ever lived in. I mean, come on, two swimming pools, front and back? The whole fact that Mother owns the land it stands on? How could you not love it? Well. I didn't exactly like it. It was too clinical, too clean. Too impersonal. Just like Mother. I dreaded going inside without Satsuki or Soroi by my side. What could she want?

Kibonochi's eye flaps looked up at me, **"Kazuma, it's not too late, you can get outta here! Just haul ass!"**

I bit my lip, opening the door myself and marching stiffly inside. My stormy disposition made me look rather intimidating. The foyer was spacious, still sterile and impersonal. It wasn't an eyesore but everything seemed so impersonal. No family portraits or anything like that. Dejected plants flanked the front door. Busts of people I barely even remembered lined a hallway branching off to some other rooms. It was like crossing to another dimension.

It was constantly cold, even Kibonochi shivered in the air-conditioned space. I couldn't help but try to search for her, striding up the stairs uneasily clenching my hilt. Servants scuttled away from me, their faces nervous and their actions stilted like bad stop-motion. Everything just seemed to feel wrong. Just looking around, I could tell that Mother wasn't exactly the serene woman that I usually saw.

She was in a mood. A terrible mood. I knew why, too. I knew why she wanted me. I could get through to her, calm her down. Now I came before her office, and I took a deep breath. I was ready to be punished for no reason, to cry, and sob for forgiveness. So that she would calm down and leave it at that. I tensed, my fist ready to knock, but something stopped me.

Something was yelling at me to get away from the door, to just silently make my exit. I grit my teeth and snarled a quiet buck-up at myself. I was no coward. I knocked. The sound reverberated through space, breaking the fragile silence. I felt like I was going in way over my head. The door opened and there she was, her eyes widened slightly as if she wasn't expecting me back, but I knew it was her that sent that message.

She regained her composure, "You sent for me, Mother?" I asked.

"I did, come in, dear," she instructed. I shuffled in, and she smiled. I had my hand on my hilt and my eyes closed. Waiting for the inevitable hands on me. She pulled me into her cool arms. I continued to fidget with my sword, the chinking and scraping noise was calming me down

"I'm so glad you're here, my darling..." she sighed, stroking my hair. I kept my eyes closed, my breathing neutral. I almost backed away for a second.

"You're such a good boy, Kazuma... such a dutiful son..." she cooed. I smiled.

"Thank you, Mother," I said.

"Good boys deserve a reward..." she slyly said, trailing her hand against my Kamui. Kibonochi jolted harshly, whapping her hand.

"Oho, what a fiesty little thing," she chuckled.

**"I ain't lettin' you touch him anymore! Can't ya see how wrong this is, Kaz?!"**

I stopped, my breathing started to constrict. My eyes opened, my shoulders bunched up, trying to shield me from Mother's cold embrace. It felt wrong. It felt so wrong... but then I had a moment of shock. Something cold was on my neck. I shuddered, letting out a whine. Kibonochi was off me, and he was struggling.

**"Kid! Kid, run! The door's still open! Kid?! KID!"**

I didn't listen, I was frozen, leaning into whatever was around me, shuddering and feeling hot tears roll down my cheeks. Mother was kissing me. I cursed myself for liking it. I cursed myself for being laid low like this. Mother cradled me in her arms, her gentle hands roving my chest and back. I closed my eyes.

"I made a mistake, dear... I should've never let you go..." she sighed. I didn't want to hear this.

"From now on, you'll be here with me," she decided. My mouth and throat went dry, I tried to back up, but she pinned me. Mother's smile was amiable, but I felt her free hand close around Kouheisei. I closed my eyes.

"As such, you don't need your blade anymore," she said. I tried to break away, but her grip was firm. She pulled Kouheisei away from me and held it lovingly. Her eyes scanning the ornate sheath and grip. She looked up at me.

"You wield this with such grace, yet you're still a child..." she chided. I grit my teeth. She has no right to take it away. It's mine! Someone important gave it to me! They knew I had to step up and be a hero! Why am I... Why am I letting her touch it? My hand shot out, grabbing it. I glared up at Mother, my defiance bubbling up.

"That's not yours," I stated coldly.

"Oh? It's not? You're wielding a dead man's blade, my darling Kazuma," she informed.

"Your father wielded this blade before you, what makes you think you're better than him?" she asked.

"I'm not trying to be him... I'm trying to find out who I am! You stifling me won't give me the answers I want!" I snarled, pushing away, standing to my feet.

"I won't let you talk down to me anymore! Every time I try to grow... you pull this! I... I won't let you! I should've run away as Father said!" I blurted, remembering the only piece of him in my memory.

_"Kazuma... take... this and run! Please, son, you have to... you have to become that dragon!"_

Mother stood, her smile mocking now.

"I don't care what punishment you see fit, but... I won't let you toy with me anymore! I've been watching, you've been slipping! All this time, the room, the key... the party, all of it!" I snarled.

**"Yeah! Get 'er, kid!"**

"You unlocked that door, fully knowing that I'd get curious, or hide in there!" I yelled, my eyes blazing, my determination and recklessness coming back for once. Mother started to laugh, I didn't waver.

"Ah, so the koi has finally reached the zenith of the waterfall? I'm sorry, dear, but you have a long way to go," she loomed over me, holding out my blade.

I still stayed strong, "Baseless accusations based on memory are never to be trusted, Kazuma," she sighed.

I grit my teeth again, "Still, I will come back stronger, and when I do... don't you talk down to me again!" I vowed. Mother smiled again, cupping my cheek with her hand.

"You're so much like your father..." she sighed.

"How about a game, Kazuma? If you win, you can go back to Hannouji and regain Kouheisei, if I win, you stay and be the good little boy I know you are?" she asked.

"Deal, your pick, Mother," I conceded.

* * *

Later on, we sat across from each other, my sheath was empty, but my sword was behind her in a glass case. She loomed imperiously over the table. I sat, my eyes intense. The chessboard was laid out before us, and we were locked in a stalemate. I was relentless at first, focused on driving Mother's forces back with my famous Blitzkrieg tactic of play. Anyone I faced either quit in rage or lost, being humiliated.

Mother wouldn't just be like the others, though. That, and she would still have a poker face, so I couldn't tell if she was losing or not. The pieces on both sides were equal in casualties. She would watch me, and I would have the same intense poker-faced stare at the board, puzzling out my next move. Back when I was first learning, I would try to save every piece.

"Kazuma, if you succeed in finding yourself, what will that make you?" she asked.

She was distracting me, I didn't answer. I knocked a knight over. My concentration on the game, but secretly my mind was going at ninety miles an hour trying to not clam up. She knocked a pawn over, with it being a distraction, I knocked her piece over with my knight. An eye for an eye. Then, I kept imagining my friends as the pieces, with Mother being the queen deep in the back of the board on her side.

I still concentrated on the game.

"No answer, hm?" she asked.

"It'll make me stronger, more assured," I said neutrally.

Knock.

Knock.

Pieces fell.

Knock.

Knock.

Both of us stared down at the board. I wasn't sure if I was winning or she was.

"This world is cruel, I keep telling you that so you won't get hurt," Mother reasoned.

"Experience isn't gained by sitting inside and being sheltered from the storms..." I sighed. Finally, we were reaching the end of it all. I had put her into check. Mother's smile still was there on her face. She didn't care. Her eyes told me that either way I'd be stuck here.

"Checkmate," I said with finality. She looked down at the board, that smile still on her face.

"Well... a deal is a deal," she sighed. She stood and let me remove Kouheisei from the case. I held it in my hand, a grimace on my face. I sheathed Kouheisei, turning to leave. Then, I felt someone grab hold of me. It was Mother again. I turned and saw her eyes, they were shining with that hungry light.

"What now? We had a deal," I snarled.

"Of course, but I have one question: How do those barbers know you?" she asked.

"Because someone is looking for me, that's why, I'll find them," I growled.

I wrenched my arm out of her grasp, leaving the manor and its cold impersonal depths behind. Kibonochi billowed around me and the copter landed. I boarded. When I sat down, I just breathed a sigh of relief I didn't know I was holding in. My fear was gone. Replaced by hope again. I could always look to the skies and smile. I'll become the hero in the stories... I just know I will!

* * *

Now I proved one or two things: One, Mother is a person who doesn't care about the sacredness of certain objects. Two, she plays for keeps, I've never been more intimidated while playing chess. I was remembering more and more about my blade, more and more about when I was little. We weren't rich. But we were happy. Father was a warm and kind man, training me relentlessly. He gave me my blade.

I clenched the hilt, knowing that there was a catch to it all. I disembarked the craft and went into my gym, turning on the bots and getting into a ready stance. I slashed and parried, my eyes wide, concentrating on training. I was tense. My memories came crashing back.

_"Good! Keep on keeping on, Kazuma!"_

"Hah!"

_"That's it, buddy! I knew you could do it!"_

I swung my sword, breaking the bots finally. I sheathed it and marched out. Now that I remember who gave me Kouheisei, the only other question is why I ended up with Mother in the first place. If Dad was so attached to me... there has to be a connection there. How exactly did she know my parents? I strode past Satsuki, not even paying her any attention.

"Kazuma," she said.

I didn't stop, too lost in thought to talk. I needed to find him, or my mother. They had answers that Mother was unwilling to give. I felt someone grab my arm. I looked over my shoulder to see a concerned Satsuki.

"Kazuma, normally you greet me, what did Mother do?" she asked.

"She tried to take my sword, and make me stay with her... but I won in chess, so I got to leave," I explained dryly, feeling the coldness of her hands again and shuddering.

"Mother coddled you again, I see..." Satsuki said. Coddling was code for the odd touching she did. I nodded. I saw it as normal, but Satsuki didn't. She removed her hand from my arm. I closed my eyes again and breathed deep.

"Satsuki, you have to listen to me! There's something wrong with Mother, and I know you might not believe me. This is all a gut feeling... but you have to listen!" I demanded, grabbing her shoulders. She stared at me.

"She... she stood by and watched us fight... and the whole time during our chess game... there was something wrong... the way she stared at me! I... I... I'm remembering things! I'm doing things I don't intend to do! Satsuki, I..." I was cut off by Uzu and Ira grabbing hold of me. I struggled.

"Satsuki! You... you gotta!" I pleaded.

"I'm sorry, Kazuma, but... you're a renegade piece," she sighed. Then, it hit me hard. Mother betrayed me. She called ahead to Satsuki to tell her that I'm insane, but why did she believe her? Why did Satsuki believe her?

"Satsuki! Please, tell them to let me go! I don't... I don't want to leave! Satsuki!" I begged.

She crossed in front of me, unsheathing Bakuzan. Her eyes glaring down at me. Everything was falling apart. I closed my eyes.

"Do it," I sighed. I looked up and saw her wavering. I got a fire in my chest.

"Go on, do it! Become exactly like Mother!" I snarled.

She struggled.

"My life was and always is yours! So go ahead and put an end to it! End it!" I encouraged.

Satsuki was wavering now, her eyes shut.

"I... I love you," I admitted.

She froze.

"I've always loved you, ever since we met... I wanna live how I decide... and now that you're in the way of that? I don't know how to feel..." I sighed.

Satsuki clenched her hands around Bakuzan. She was at war with herself. I waited patiently for her to settle down.

"Do you think I want this? Just go, leave, find your answers," she snarled. Ira and Uzu let me go and I turned to leave. I stopped. I looked back over my shoulder, my hand on my hilt.

"If we manage to cross swords... I won't hold back," I warned. I didn't notice that Satsuki wasn't looking at me, her face shadowed by her long hair. She was at war, and I was at an overwhelming peace.

* * *

I had four journals, two sketchbooks, and a myriad of papers. I stayed up past midnight most nights. Trying to figure out why Kazuma would snap so suddenly. He was always volatile and impulsive. I opened one journal. It seemed to be the most recent in the pile. His room was sparsely decorated, his style was function over fashion. Seeing as he would exit parties early to go train used to be a hot-button issue between him and Mother.

Now he's gone. He was so paranoid and worried when he left. It felt wrong to chase him away. Even after I promised him to always support him and give him a shoulder to cry on. Mother's panicked phone call felt... off. Kazuma wouldn't just break as she said. Yes, he seemed quite dour but that was his normal. I came in here earlier for some clue as to why he broke like that. I opened up the most recent journal to figure out what was wrong.

_Entry One: Satsuki._

_I don't know what's happening to me. There's this odd feeling in my chest for Satsuki. Every time I look into her eyes, see her smile, I feel like I wanna kiss her. I feel so airy and bubbly. Even when sparring with her I feel like I want to just tackle her and kiss her. But... I know it's taboo. We've seen each other as siblings for a long time._

I stared at the entry with soft disbelief. I knew he had some sort of feelings for someone. I always assumed it was either Nonon or even Ira, but... Me? Why me? Out of everyone, he falls for me? I could barely even cook, or do any domestic work... all I can do is fight and dominate others. Maybe that's why he picked those up as hobbies. Maybe that's why he looked so hurt when I turned him away?

He loved me. I remember all those times he'd go to me in tears and just lay on me. My lap or my chest, close his eyes, and just lay there.

_Entry Two: Mother._

_Mother... she's odd. Not in the normal 'trying to be in with the times' kind of odd, but the, 'I think my son is the hottest man in the world' kind of odd. Kibonochi was right. She looks at me like I'm her next bed-warmer. There's also another thing that bugs me. Her body temperature, based on... ahem... previous experience... is WAY too low. I have a sneaking suspicion that the thing in the room below the manor is connected._

_She knows more about me than I know myself, always comparing me to my father. She always looms over me or makes physical contact. That whole Oedipus situation (See Mother's Board section Five B.) left a bad taste in my mouth._

I never saw the board, but I opened Journal One.

_Investigation of REVOCS introduction._

_Satsuki. If you find these, that means either Mother/Ragyo booted me out, or I was killed for knowing too much. If it's the former, keep reading, if it's the latter... burn them. Burn them all. Read, commit it to memory, then burn it all to cinders. Remember Fahrenheit 451? I'm like Montag. I've been investigating REVOCS and its history for any clues as to Ragyo's strange behavior, only for it to spiral into a MASSIVE coverup operation that I've been unraveling..._

_Behind the wall paneling over my desk is the Mother's Board, the REVOCS Discrepancy Board, and the Shiroi Haibara Coverup, there's a button on the side for the panels to move back, it's coded to my voice and yours. Never, under any circumstances are you to disclose any information on those boards, in these notebooks, and in the tapes with any REVOCS employee, the Elites can know and Soroi too._

_Not until I return. Not until I know I'm right. I'm not paranoid..._

_I just know too much._

I reached over and punched in a small button, a small speaker came out.

"Satsuki Kiryuin," I said.

_OH! I made your password what I used to call you when I was six._

I sighed, leave it to him to bring up that chestnut... I leaned towards the speaker again.

"Satsy-chan..." I sighed. Then, the paneling opened up to three corkboards full of papers and photos, evidence, and all kinds of other material. This was going to be a long night...


	4. Episode 4: A Stifled Homecoming

I had a memory tonight for my dream. It was the night where Ragyo took me. I was still young, trying to pull my dad out of the rubble, his eyes closed. I didn't notice that he was bleeding, dying from getting his legs turned to hamburger meat from something.

"Son! Get outta here!" Dad yelled, pushing me away. I saw the rest of the burning facade cave in. I remember running, where? I didn't know, all I knew was that I had to run. Mom! Where was mom? Nui! Where was Nui?

"MOM!" I yelled, darting through the area around the fire, I didn't care. I wanted Mom! I ran and ran until my lungs became ragged from the acrid smoke. I dissolved into a coughing fit. Tears were blinding me, too.

"Ma! Mama!" I coughed, slowing down and kneeling, coughing over and over. Soot caked me, making me hard to see in the darkness. Mom abandoned me. I convinced myself of that. I remember crying and howling, holding a dormant Kibonochi and a sheathed Kouheisei, sobbing. Dad died so that I could live, and Mom abandoned me.

I remember crying and sobbing, inconsolable. A shadow fell over me.

"Lady Ragyo! I found a survivor!" Rei's voice yelled.

* * *

*Grrrroowwwl...* My stomach groaned.

**"Kid, you gotta eat..."**

"Yeah yeah, I know..." I sighed. That's the thing with traveling, you gotta find places to eat. I marched along the road. Kibonochi was choked with dust and other road things. I traveled on foot and dusted Kibo up so I wouldn't arouse suspicion. Kouheisei was hidden in Kibo's folds. Between the road and I was a small mountain town called Shiroi Haibara.

They were as 'We don't like strangers' as they came. I was practically staggering in, my stomach was begging me for food. The main street was closed immediately, and all there was were silence, a few wrappers floating in the wind, and the tinkling of a few wind chimes. The shale gray buildings were like sad mausoleums. Due to my hunger, I couldn't talk to Kibonochi.

The town was gray and just sad-looking. It wasn't too bad but at the same time, it felt like it wasn't a bad place at one point. This was a tired, old town with a ton of history. I wish I could slow down and smell the roses but my hunger wouldn't let me.

I dragged myself up to the torii gate at the top of the town, staggering up the steps, using Kouheisei as a cane. Due to my intense training, my metabolism and appetite were absurdly high. No food in the tank meant no fighting or moving for me. I swayed, my eyes going blurry. Before I passed out, I saw a girl with twin pigtails skip down the steps, coming to a stop in front of me.

* * *

A guy fell in front of me. That never happens here, and Mommy says that strangers aren't nice... but I was heading out to see what Barbie was talking about, he detected something on the scopes outside town, and we put the whole place on lockdown. The guy was older than me, looking to be about seventeen. He was handsome, but something echoed in the back of my mind.

_"I'mma be the greatest hero ever, sis! So I gotta practice by protectin' ya!"_

That voice was young, but... images of a dark-green haired, golden-eyed boy flashed through my head. I was only two, and Mommy says that a bad person took my... BIG BROTHER?! No way! Dark green hair, check! Cool sword? Not sure, I moved his coat apart, seeing the ornate and shiny sword sheath and hilt. Check! Kamui with double black and green eye flaps that stares balefully at you?

The Kamui glared at me. Check! Oooh! I was so excited! I haven't seen my big bro since forever ago! I hoisted him up and dragged him along behind me. He was pretty heavy! I dragged him through the doors.

"Barbie! Mommy! I got something!" I called. Barbie came first, his hat on, and a razor in his hand. He sheathed it and smiled.

"See, Missy, look who it is!" he said, Mommy came in, her golden hair all messy and her dark blue eyes wide. She seemed surprised. I loved surprises! This was the greatest, happiest surprise ever!

"Nui, sweetie, bring him to a room," she said.

"Okay!" I chirped. I picked him up, carrying him to a room right next to mine. I was so excited to find out what kind of person he became. He had such muscle on him! No wonder that meanie Ragyo liked him so much! He looks like Daddy! I laid him on the bed and he woke up. He had pretty golden eyes and he stared at me. I smiled widely.

"What the hell?" he asked.

* * *

"What the hell?" I mumbled, sitting up, seeing a girl in a pink priestess's uniform with a slender blade at her hip. Her blond hair was in two thick pigtails and her dark blue eyes were shining. She seemed so familiar. SHe was smiling with her cute little hands swinging a little bit.

"Heya!" she greeted, her voice high pitched and cutesy. My stomach roared.

"Oh! You gotta be hungry, yeah?" she asked.

"Yeah, ravenous, lady... got anything to eat?" I asked. She nodded and skipped out of the room. I couldn't help but feel like I've seen her before... who was she to me? I heard the door open and saw the girl and a woman in an older and longer version of the uniform the girl was wearing, and it was a beige color. She had blonde hair and blue eyes, too. She had her's tied back in a ponytail.

"See, Mommy? I told ya he'd come back!" The girl assured.

'Come back? What? How do these guys know me?' I thought. The woman sat on the bed, studying me with her warm blue eyes. Her darker skin tone was similar to mine. Way back in my mind, I remembered something. Something about the woman, and something about the girl. They were my mother and my little sister! Alive, they were alive!

"M-mom?" I mumbled. Instead of sadness or relief, I felt anger. How? How could she abandon me when I was crying for her?! How could she forget about me?! I grit my teeth, momentarily forgetting my hunger. Mom backed off. Nui decided to cut tensions by shoving a bowl of bell peppers and beef in my face.

"Kazzy! I brought'cha some food! C'mon, c'mon, eat up!" she cheered. I gotta admit, it was nice to finally not eat preprocessed shit I found in a case near the academy for me. I chowed down, not slowing down for a second. Nui was grinning. I put the bowl down, calm, and collected.

"Now then, talk," I ordered. Nui's smile fell and Mom's expression hardened.

"How was I supposed to know SHE was going to take you?!" she snarled.

"So it was a surprise attack..." I started, getting up and standing over them.

"I'll explain it to you," Mom sighed.

* * *

_It all started one night after a long day at work. Your father worked late, so it was just me, you, and your sister._

"Lay down, Kaz!" Nui chirped, pushing Kazuma down with a pudgy hand. I smiled at them, my little princess and my little koi. So cute, and so much like their father. Nui inherited her father's positivity, and Kazuma his vindictive rage, looks, and determination.

_Once I put you two to bed, your father comes raging in, fuming, bloodied, and bruised._

"That stinking... repulsive... narcissistic... BITCH!" he snarled, kicking the wall. I stood and rushed to his side.

"Goro, what's wrong?" I asked.

"Flavia, get the kids, and run!" he urged. I was confused. He left on business, what happened?

"Goro, calm down, you're being paranoid..." I soothed.

"No, no... I'm not being paranoid! You have to listen to me!" he snarled, grabbing my shoulders tightly.

"Flavia... please, there's not much time! You gotta get the kids up, run to Isshin's place, Osaka, anywhere away from REVOCS!" he yelled.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because Ragyo wants Kazuma! She wants our kids, Flavia! We need to go! I'll hold her off!" he snarled.

"Goro? What the-" I was cut off by Kazuma in the doorway. He was looking at us.

"Mommy? Dad? Are you two fighting?" he asked.

We looked over at him. I ran over and grabbed his hand.

"Kazuma. We need to go!" I said.

"Mommy? What's happening?" he asked.

_I ran. Grabbing you two and hightailing it... but, you broke away to go back for your father._

_I started to remember it._

"Dad! Dad! I yelled, tearing through the woods back towards the house, my eyes streaming with tears. I had to go back, Dad needed me. I came to the burning house, seeing Ragyo and Dad standing off. Kouheisei was in his hands, his eyes narrowed. He was concentrating, I tore forwards, seeing him go down.

"DAD!" I yelled, punching Ragyo in the cheek, staggering her. I smiled and landed next to Dad.

"What the- Kazuma! Go back to your mom!" he snarled.

"No! I'm not leaving you!" I yelled.

Dad saw Ragyo strike blindly and he pushed me out of the way, he got cut in half from the waist down. He fell on top of me.

"Son... Kazuma... Take Kouheisei... go! Go, don't stop! Son, please," he begged, tears streaming down his face. I started to cry.

"Dad... Dad... DON'T LEAVE ME!" I sobbed.

"I... ain't... leavin' yet! I... got one more thing to say..." he snarled. He reached up and caressed my cheek with a bloodied hand.

"Your name... your name... will always be... Kazuma... Kagu... ya..." he drifted off, his eyes went dead. Then, cut to me, covered in soot and blood, holding both an ashen Kibonochi and a blood-covered Kouheisei. Scared and confused, seeing the sheening aura of Ragyo and charging madly.

"DIE! YOU KILLED MY DAD!" I had screamed. Ragyo caught the blade, pushing it away and making me drop it, grabbing me in a bear hug. I struggled, biting, and raving.

"I'LL KILL YA! I'LL KILL YA!" I screamed, kicking and squirming, seeing Rei come forwards with a syringe. A deep, primal fear of needles and storms is what I had. I started to thrash harder. Screaming and howling for Mom, for Dad, for someone to keep the needle away from me! Then, euphoria spread through my system. Silence, nothing but darkness greeted me. Held in the arms of my father's murderer, cuddled like a baby in her arms.

It all made sense. Why I forgot so much about Mom and Dad and Nui. They drugged me. I could never hear the thunder, never hear the crooning of Ragyo's manipulation in my ears. I just had to be drugged up to hear it. Why I barely remembered night after night spent with her. I only remember the cold sensations, the softness of the sheets, and the dark silence that pervaded everything.

* * *

Mom yanked me into her arms, hugging me tightly. I flinched at first.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, Kazuma..." she sobbed.

I reluctantly wrapped my arms around her. She must've been so worried about me. Waiting for me to come home. I didn't find it in my heart to be mad anymore. It was out of my control, or anyone's control. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I was trying to fight back. All the repressed memories started to surface. Starting with the good ones, like me meeting Nui and holding her.

I knew that one day I'd see the night of my tenth birthday in its full corrupted majesty. I had to face the past, but I had to live. I needed to avenge my father and save Satsuki from being swallowed up by the same vices as her mother. Sins of the father don't carry to the son. Sadly, features do. Ragyo and Dad had a relationship. Judging by how Mom seemed to spit out the word Dad like a piece of bad cake, I could tell.

Ragyo replaced him with me, drugging me up to have her way with me. Mom's sobbing wasn't just for me, but for the little boy that died the night the house burned. I wrapped my arms around her tightly. I finally broke. Crying wasn't pretty, nor was it honorable or anything like that.

"It was my fault..." I sighed.

"It wasn't, Kazuma, it was mine..." Mom denied.

I nodded, "But it was mine, if I didn't go back... you'd still have me with you," I continued.

"If you went with us, you wouldn't be as strong as you are now..." she reasoned.

"But still, it was my fault. All of it, if I... if I..." I mumbled Mom pulled back from me, holding me by the shoulders.

"Kazuma Kaguya, look at me," she urged. My molten gold eyes swiveled up to look at her.

"It's not your fault, it never was. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time... you can't keep on living in the past," she advised.

"Well, that's not your problem, is it? Now all I know is how to be scared, how to survive wasn't even part of the damn plan... All I want now is to end this myself," I snarled.

Nui watched closely, "Big brother, you're nowhere near strong enough to beat Ragyo," she observed.

"Who said I wanted to fight her? All I want is to live my life with my beliefs and dogma! Eventually, I'll go save Satsuki!" I decided.

Nui and Mom went quiet. Mom started to grin.

Nui opened her mouth and gasped, "No way! Satsuki's your girlfriend?!"

I started to sputter.

"No, no, she's not... ugh! She's not... damn!" I spat. I didn't like talking about it. I don't know what kind of relationship I have with her, but all I know is that we're close.

I just realized that I was blushing and Nui started to bounce, "Kazuma n' Satsuki sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" she cheered.

"Mom! Please, make her stop!" I snapped.

"Hehe... sorry, sweetheart, but you walked right into that," she teased gently. I buried my face into a pillow and sighed heavily. Nui good-naturedly giggled and wrapped her arm around my shoulders. She was my sister. I just missed Satsuki a lot. She was always there, and now she believes I'm insane... Now I'm with my family, and I feel a hole burn into my heart.

I wanted to go back to Hannouji and stop Satsuki. I wanted her to be with me, safe and tucked away where Ragyo could never hurt me or her again. I saw the faint white scars on her wrists, saw the rust of blood on Bakuzan. I didn't want her to die. I saw the way she glared at Her. She wanted to save me, to protect me. Maybe this was for the best. But why did I feel so wrong?

Why did I care? Why did I want to go back to that hell? All that's going to happen is that I'll die. Ragyo would slaughter me. I needed to save Satsuki. She was the only one who understood. She truly understood everything. The elites would surely believe her. They were loyal and probably sensed that something was off about my sudden leaving.

* * *

Barber came back in, a little panicked. Hat askew, suit rumpled, and razors out. He caught his breath and regained his composure. His black eyes were bugged out.

"Missy! Miss Nui! Mister Kazuma! It's... it's REVOCS!" he yelled. All three of us froze. I must've led them here!

"Barber, how many are we looking at?" Mom asked.

"Forty strong, Missy! Me an' the others are shorin' up the town right now! Methinks that Mister Kazuma led them here on accident... or purpose!" he accused.

"What?! No, no, I didn't lead them here! How many attacks do you guys go through each month?" I asked.

"This is our first... normally me an' the boys go out and do missions, or Miss Nui hunts after her renegade clone... after the manor attack, we found a tracker on the guy you shoved a shaving cream bomb into, but it was taken out by a thick gray fiber that killed it. Now they're here..." he sighed.

I stood up and clenched my sword's hilt. My father's sword. I adjusted Kibonochi and Nui followed me out. Once we got outside, we found that there were forty white clothing monsters that pulsed with Life Fibers. Nui shuddered. They shambled and staggered, moaning and groaning like cliche zombies like from Typing of the Dead.

"They don't feel right, Kazuma..." she whimpered. I saw a dead face in the middle of each one, drained and dry. I felt a sort of... alien-like aura from them. The inner fire in my heart summoned up those odd gray strands. I don't know what they were. *TOOOM... TOOOOOOOMMMMM!* I heard the same roaring pulse in my head as the odd thing underneath Kiryuin Manor. I unsheathed my sword and my gray tendrils started to writhe around me.

They quickly became more livid, "I'll take the twenty on the right, you take the twenty on the left..." I decided. Nui gawked at me.

"Are you insane?! That's twenty! You're only one guy!" she gasped.

"So?" I asked.

"Don't you wanna live?" she asked.

"Bold of you to assume that I haven't been alive," I snarled. We stood back to back, with Nui unsheathing a sword parody of a sewing needle from the sheath on her hip. It was a thin rapier. Nui was putting up a disarming front, looking very cutesy and fragile only revealing her true colors in battle. I dashed from monster to monster, slashing through them, finding their Vital Banshi, and tearing it to pieces.

I already took down five, and five people shot out of each of the fallen ones. All pale and dead, looking more like meat sacks than actual people. I've never seen these monsters in action, but Barber and the others fought with us to drive them back. All I felt were the Life Fibers drilling into my skin, wriggling, and joining their other brethren in my body.

I didn't know how I could do that, but seeing Nui fight was a show in and of itself. Seeing her hacking and slashing, stabbing, and stomping the living daylights out of her side of the monsters was brutal and reminded me to never get on a woman's bad side. I've also seen Satsuki fight, but... Nui was another beast. We collided back to back, seeing one loping towards us on beefy legs, wide and sinewy arms toddled out towards us.

It charged and we darted away, Barber threw a couple of razors, they gouged out a jagged edge of the suit's shoulder and buried themselves into the thing's back, riding with the tide of the gargantuan suit, Barber dragged it into the ground. The suit sputtered and died, melting into scraps of clothing barely held together by dying Life Fibers. Nui landed beside me and Barber, smiling and gently squeezing me in her arms.

"Sorry for Big n' Nasty! I just wanna tell ya that I'm glad you're not a meanie like Mommy says Ragyo is!" She exclaimed, her ever-grinning face had no malice in it, but her eyes betrayed what she would do if I was a 'meanie' like she said.

We looked down at the winding and swirling threads and saw the poor person who was being eaten by them. It was just a guy, a little older than Barber. He raised his head weakly, just barely able to see us. His eyes were glassy and staring out past me. His body was emaciated and shaking. Poor bastard was just skinny enough to be completely consumed by the pain of the Life Fibers sucking him dry.

"It's over?" He asked I knelt and smiled.

"Yeah, it's all over..." I sighed. The man's eyes unclouded and made contact with mine.

"She talks about you all the time... Lady Ragyo... says that... that she'll get you back... but we all know that you... you're not going to let her..." the man whispered.

"Oh yeah?" I asked.

"She took us... the most rebellious employees of each group of REVOCS employees and sewed us into those... things, my name... was Matsuri..." he groaned. The name hit me like a ton of bricks. Matsuri was my manservant! He raised a huge stir when he found out about Ragyo's little liaisons with a drugged-out me. She wasn't amused by that and 'fired' him.

Now he was dying in my arms and he smiles.

"I'm glad... so glad that you're free... fly, your dragon, fly..." he faltered and was still. I sighed and stood, knowing that I'd lose more people than just him. We buried all of them, with the dirty deed done, I just wanted to sleep. I wanted to go inside and sleep it all away. I walked in and Mom tried to stop me.

"Kazuma! Please, listen," she said.

"What? Are ya just gonna give me a pat on the back? I just found the Missing Forty, now I'm remembering all this crap I forgot... now I wish I was insane..." I sighed. Mom chuckled.

"There's no way you're insane, sweetie... considering you compared to your sister," she muttered.

We both watched Nui skip around Barber and the other boys with Gray Fibers on her head. She was smiling and giggling, her eyes shining in good humor. She was trying to keep everyone's spirits up. This was a tiny rebellion compared to what I heard about Nudist Beach. In fact, why didn't we pool our resources together? It'd be easier, we'd have more personnel, better equipment, everything.

"Mom? Why don't we join up with Nudist Beach?" I asked.

Mom grew stern and quiet, "I have my pride, Kazuma," she stated simply. I sighed and looked at her teasingly.

"That, and I don't want your sister to be corrupted by Mikisugi..." she huffed. I didn't know who or what she was talking about. Nui didn't seem to be the greatest example of mental solidification, and this Mikisugi guy shouldn't or couldn't be so bad. Then again, Ragyo is hardly Mother Theresa. My basis for comparison was even worse than usual.

I only hoped that Satsuki and the other elites believed the evidence. I made sure to get a ton of credible evidence and other important material. The Missing Forty will be avenged. I'll end this all myself! Mom put her arm around me, squeezing me gently. She smiled and I answered with a shaky one. I still have to get used to all of this. I looked up into the sky.

'Satsuki... everyone, please... believe me.' I thought, hoping against all hope to make it so. God knows we need all the help we can get if the COVERS are unleashed now... even if they were prototypes, this spelled all kinds of bad things ahead.


	5. Episode 5: To Fight Fire with Fire

_"Satsuki, meet your new little brother," Mother said, ushering a soot-covered boy out from her side. He looked like he wanted to go back to her. His green hair and weirdly golden eyes were different. He looked down at his feet._

_I tentatively reached out my hand, "My name is Satsuki, nice to meet you," I offered._

_He looked up at me and reached out a sooty hand, "K-kazuma…. Kazuma Kag-" he stammered before Mother shot him a glare._

_"Kiryuin…" he sighed, shaking my hand. It was almost as if he didn't want to accept the fact that he was with us now._

* * *

It wasn't often that I had a sleepless night. But this evidence was disturbing. It drew me in, sucked me in with how thorough and well-written the reports in the journals were. Kazuma has a genuine talent for sensationalism. Considering that the crux of all this was Mother, however, I had to believe his claims. I looked haggard, my black hair in disarray. Mother's claim of his insanity made no sense. Kazuma was never one to snap suddenly.

_**I imagine that you're getting to the tapes by now. Be warned that the content is some of the most disturbing and vile things I've seen. Gather the Elites, have them see it. They'll believe us.**_

"Lady Satsuki?" a voice said from behind me.

"GAH!" I yelped, jumping, seeing Ira next to me. He looked concerned. Ever since Kazuma left it seemed like life was sucked clean out of the school. He was the charismatic encouraging leader that always made sure everyone was okay. Ever since he left I was obsessively scanning the materials on the boards, notebooks, and soon the tapes.

"I know you two were close, but it's not healthy to listen to some insane man's madcap rambling," he sighed, putting his hand on my shoulder and turning me around in the chair. He wasn't insane. He just knew too much. Ira sighed.

"How could you believe that claim? You were his right-hand man!" I objected.

"Lady Satsuki, please, you're getting a little wound up..." he cautioned, his black eyes narrowed.

I looked over at the tapes, "You will believe his claims when you see these, gather the others," I commanded.

* * *

Inumuta set up the VCR. There were four tapes, all marked with certain words.

_Introduction._

_First time._

_Second time._

_Drugless._

_End._

They had a simple setup. Inumuta inserted the Introduction tape. It showed Kazuma sitting at his desk.

_"Everyone, the three tapes you're about to see are irrefutable evidence of Ragyo Kiryuin's corruption. As Satsuki has already analyzed, this story runs deeper than we all can fathom. I made all the case's materials able to be destroyed by a simple fire or blunt force. Please, be warned, not a single second of the next three tapes are pretty. I... I found these while rummaging through the attic. The last two, Introduction and End, are the only new ones,"_

The tape stopped, and we slotted the first one in. Uzu and Ira, Nonon and Inumuta, and I all sat down to watch it. What we saw I cannot repeat, only to force reprising. It was Kazuma, a far-off, dreamy smile on his face, being assaulted almost playfully by Ragyo. I turned away, not even bearing the sounds coming from the speakers. All of it was familiar. I went through the same things.

Uzu and Ira both shook with barely contained rage.

"There's no way this is real..." Nonon breathed.

"These were all filmed on a camcorder, your mother hid them in the attic, and now... they're here," Inumuta surmised.

"Yes, correctly deduced, Inumuta," I acknowledged.

The second tape was much worse. Kazuma, still sporting the dreamy smile, drugged out of his mind. Ragyo still assaulting him. I flinched at every strike, at every sound I cowered. Ira rumbled, Uzu gripped his kendo stick harshly. They were angry, yet they barely knew the edge of my rage. My anger bubbled up, and I clenched my teacup's handle. Seeing Kazuma barely struggle, just accepting his fate because of the heavy sedatives...

I wanted to break these tapes. Yet the third one was the worst of them all. Ominously titled Drugless, we all knew what kind of hell we were going to be treated to. The most gut-wrenching sobs, howls, screams, and pleas of sadness echoed through the room, a vision of the past that I never wanted to hear or see again. Kazuma was struggling valiantly against my mother's grasp, trying to escape like a madman.

Yet, Mother's strength was inhuman. He struggled, still screaming, still howling, collapsing into sobbing and crying. I unsheathed Bakuzan and slashed the TV in half.

*SPANG! TSSSSSSSSSSSTTTTT!* I was gasping and huffing, seeing the static and sparks fizzle out. I hated this. I hated seeing the past every time I looked in the mirror. How much I looked like her. Yet, Kazuma knew more than he ever let on. He was disarming, even charming. No wonder he got so many freedoms. Mother was wrapped around her brief fantasy's finger.

Kazuma was a mini version of his father. Now he was out of here and with that barbershop group. Then, I felt a burner buzz in my pocket. I pulled it out and answered.

_"Hey," _Kazuma's warm, drawling voice said. I smiled, and the elites gathered around me.

"Hello, Kazuma, I've looked over your investigation, the number of times it made sense baffled me. Have you considered a future in investigative work?" I asked.

_"No, actually... am I good at stuff like that?" _

"You are," I acknowledged.

_"I miss you, Satsuki," _He sighed.

I smiled, "Me too," I said. I meant it. I missed him so much. He would let me bring my walls down, letting me be more than the cruel ruler of Hannouji Academy. He was the balance. He was the light to our dark. Kazuma must be so bored to call me like this.

"Is this a social call?" I asked.

_"Far from it, I found the Missing Forty..." _He huffed. I lowered the phone. My eyes closing. He found them. What happened to Matsuri... how was he not in grief? I put it back up.

"Why aren't you sad?" I asked.

_"Sad? No, I'm not. Matsuri always hated when I cried... so I won't. You saw the tapes, and you saw the evidence... it's hard to swallow, but... she did those things to me, and you too. Don't think I didn't see those scars on your wrists from the cuffs... you're not alone, Satsuki, I'm sure that everyone believes me now," _

I felt something bubble up in my chest, a need for him. I remembered a day where there was the sun, where we were happy. Where he promised me something I always wanted.

**Six Years Ago...**

I stood in the surf, clenching my seashell. This was the summer before Mother got distant. I wanted to bring it back with me, for her. Kazuma and Soroi were with me. He was building a sandcastle, with Soroi's help. I sighed, looking down at the rainbow shell, wondering when I could see Mother's smile again. Then, I felt a hand close around it. It was Kazuma, his pleasant smile wide and his golden eyes sparkling.

"We gotta go, Satsuki," he said, looking just as kicked down and worried as I was. He loved Mother at some point, always helpful and always there for her. He was the only one now who made her smile. I wanted to return to this beach.

"I want to stay, Kazuma," I said.

"I know, me too! Hey, how about when we're older we come back here and find this again?" he suggested.

I nodded.

**Present Time...**

"Kazuma, come home. I don't care what Mother says, I need you, WE need you, so I order you: Come back," I commanded.

He seemed to consider this, _"Sorry, no can do, Satsuki," _

"What? You would deny a direct order?" I asked.

_"Yeah, that would spoil the whole element of surprise, are you... wait, you DO have a crush on me!" _

I barely could hide my blush. He was laughing on the other end.

_"Y'know what? Screw it! I'll come back! Just... well, I'll be there in a few days time,"_

He hung up, and I glared at the other elites.

"This is none of your business, go back to your jobs, you four!" I criticized.

They did so, and I wondered what tomorrow would bring. Little did I know that I would soon meet a rival that would shake me to my very core...

* * *

Ryuko Matoi was her name, and she insulted me. She drove my patience to the absolute limit. I told Kazuma about it in a very distressed Burner conversation, and now I needed something important.

There was mine deep in the recesses of the manor, something my father made for me. Something that irked me was the fact that Mother hid it from me. Let me be weak, while they nurtured Kazuma. Not that it was his fault, but... I want to dash Mother's plans to the ground and MATOI... Matoi has been getting in the way. Matoi was a puzzle. She seemed so familiar to me. Although I couldn't place how.

I strode towards a blocked off a section of the manor; it was so obvious. Both Soroi and Kuroiwa tried to stop me. We were standing before a white wardrobe laced with caution tape and it seemed to pulse with whatever was in there.

"Lady Satsuki, please reconsider your current course!" Soroi yelled, I hesitated.

"No, I must be Kazuma's equal... I mustn't lag. He must not get a swelled head," I denied.

"No, I have a much... more plausible theory," Kuroiwa said. I grit my teeth.

"You're in LOVE with Kazuma, that's why you're taking it, to keep up with the man you want to be with, women are always so irrational with love!" Kuroiwa guffawed, teasing his mustache. I snarled.

"What I do behind closed doors is none of your business, now... I must reach my ambition!"

All I felt once I grabbed it was some pulse emanating from it. A small heart pulsed somewhere in the fabric. I closed my eyes and took up Bakuzan, unsheathed and gleaming coldly. I ran my finger gently across the edge, feeling it cut. I dripped my blood down upon the fabric.

"This is the covenant I make with you, may you drink your fill..." I muttered, feeling the blood weigh it down. The fabric rustled madly.

**"Urgh... DISGUSTING! HOW DARE YOU WAKE ME?!"**

The Kamui tackled me, and pain lanced through my system. I struggled and gasped, feeling it squirm and worm into my mind.

**"And you're a little girl as well? Give me a break. If even the boy tried to wear me, I'd except him because he's a warrior!"**

"Are you insinuating that I'm not?! I WILL NOT ALLOW ANYMORE LIP OUT OF YOU!" I yelled, struggling for control.

**"The fat one was right... you DO love that boy, you want to protect him, yet you were so pitifully late to the outset..."**

"S-silence... SILENCE!" I screamed.

**"YES! There it is, scream your heart out at me, lash out! Let me feel your blood and adrenaline flow!"**

"Smart... ass... little... smock!" I seethed.

**"SMOCK?! I'll have you know that Soichiro Kiryuin made me to destroy Life Fibers, not be some fashion item like your mother seemed to parade my cousin Kibonochi around as!"**

"JUST BEND YOUR KNEE!"

**"I AM A POETIC PIECE OF CLOTHING, I DO NOT HAVE 'KNEES'!"**

I finally reined him in, but he still was tense, it scared him. He seemed to calm down, his snide voice dropping to a deep, lazy one.

"I think I will name you 'Junketsu' it means pure blood," I stated.

**"Pure... blood? Why? After all my ridicule, why do you take it lying down, Satsuki? I've read your thoughts... you're secretly in turmoil."**

"I shall tell you later, now, Soroi... we're going," I said tactfully.

"Yes, miss," Soroi said, walking alongside me to the exit, out towards the helicopter. Passing by Kuroiwa, I saw his fat lips curl into a devious smirk. I sat primly on my seat. Junketsu stared up at me.

**"Satsuki, why is Kazuma so important to you? He seems prominent in most of your memories, the ones you kept anyway,"**

"My mother raised Kazuma and me as siblings, I must've gained feelings for him beyond that after learning of his origins," I assumed.

**"If I was a female Kamui, I wouldn't mind being worn by him... he's got some good looks... but he's so... worried."**

"Junketsu, please take it easy," I sighed.

I knew what he was getting at, Kazuma and I would worry about each other a lot. The night sky whizzed by through the portholes, with Soroi ever by my side. I wondered if he was alright after finding the Missing Forty. He wasn't answering my texts, so... He must've broken his burner phone in his wild pursuit of justice. He was admirable but could be stupid sometimes. That's part of why I liked him as much as I did.

The helicopter was high above the ground, soaring like some gigantic metal bird carrying its babies to get them out of harm's way. I stared out the window, sipping my tea. It was bitter, but the good bitter. Kazuma can't stand bitter things... he hates them. I chuckled a little. He must get used to it. I then sighed. So much had happened to the once-bright little boy I used to play with all those years ago.

"Lady Satsuki, is something the matter?" Soroi piped up, his kindly black eyes staring into mine, his hand on my shoulder.

"To be honest, yes... it's something about Kazuma. How was he so... paranoid?" I asked.

"Lord Kazuma was always attached to your mother, she was very protective of him. So now that he's figuring out that she's a cruel woman who cares nothing about him and you... he feels trapped. I saw the same eyes in your father and his parents. I worry for you and him, and the elite four and my grandson. You've all become an extended family of sorts," Soroi declared.

"Then why does Kazuma stay if he wants to go?" I wondered.

"That's a question easily answered. He cares for you, in his odd way," Soroi chuckled, his smile stretching on his wrinkled face. The helicopter landed, and I saw someone waiting for me on the tarmac. It was the subject of my thinking. Kazuma stood there, his hand on his hilt. His Kamui was off, he was all bandaged up from his battle.

"Satsuki! Hey!" he called, walking up with a smile. It fell the minute he saw Junketsu.

"You too, huh? Great..." he scoffed, rolling his eyes. He seemed rather... perturbed by my choice.

"Look, It's nice that you wanna keep up, I get that, and I also get that we may need them for later... but you have no idea the power these things wield," Kazuma said, falling into step with me. I reached for his hand, but he kept it away.

"I'm worried that you'll end up like... like her if you stay on this path. I bonded with Kibonochi so you wouldn't have to take this," he sighed, motioning to Junketsu. I looked down at him, he looked back up at me.

"I guess I couldn't stop you," Kazuma huffed, shrugging.

I smiled, "I guess you couldn't be stronger either? Look at your wounds..." I sighed.

"Heh, these? Nah, these were old wounds, now we have an ally by our side," I heard the gleaming pride in his voice. His posture was straight instead of being hunched over. He still looked down, his eyes barely meeting mine. He was acting.

"I... I... I'm sorry," he stammered.

"What for, Kazuma?" I asked.

"I don't... I don't want to fall in love with you! But I can't help it! Now that you... you have that, you... don't need me," He decided.

"What?! Kazuma, don't say that," I huffed.

"Then what do you want me to do? Keep on pining for you? Keep on being your 'equal'? Wait and see what your bat shit insane mother will do? What are my orders? What's my path, Satsuki? I can't keep on playing this game... you have a Kamui, you could end this all right now with that. You'd never be more wrong... you can't do it alone, and that Matoi girl doesn't know the truth... how long are we going to wait?" He snarled.

"Why do you say that?" I wondered.

"Because the more we wait, the more I realize that your mother is playing with innocent lives! Throwing them to that thing in the basement, tearing everything to pieces! The more we wait... the more I realize that... that I... that IT WAS MY FAULT MY FATHER DIED!" He thundered. I realized that Kazuma had figured out how that night went. The pivotal moment that changed my life and his forever. He gripped my shoulders roughly, digging his nails into Junketsu. His eyes filled with hatred and betrayal.

"You were always stronger than me, Satsuki, always. Now? You threw it all away, just to chase the plateau of power I reached," he growled, his expression taut with anger and pain.

"My power doesn't come from my Kamui or my body... It comes from my heart, it comes from my love for this world... from the love of my parents... It comes from the rage at being lied to, being forced to wear masks to hide who I truly am. It comes... it comes from my faith in you, to bring the future you want! I, I want to decide where I want to be," His rage turned to a numb, icy feeling.

"If you want to wear that Kamui and rush into battle, don't expect me to save you. You're using that to stroke your ego, to fight Matoi, you and your mother are similar in that regard," Kazuma growled, turning away and letting me go.

"Kazuma," I said, and he whirled around.

"What? What are you going to say to make me stay?" he asked.

"Fight me, Kamui to Man, me versus you... whoever wins gets their answer, if I win... you stay. If you win, you go!" I challenged, seeing the razor-sharp smile crest his face.

"Oh yeah? Alright, I'll bite... GET READY TO BE CURB-STOMPED, BABY!" He yelled.

"Junketsu!" I called.

**"YES!"**

*Click click click.* I clicked three blue panels on my arm, seeing a bright blue light shine out.

"LIFE FIBER OVERRIDE: KAMUI JUNKETSU!" I yelled, feeling my Kamui shift around me, it left very little to the imagination, a metallic spine was down my back, protecting my tailbone. It exposed my skin to the chilly night air, and two eyes were on my shoulders. Kazuma got into a stance, holding Kouheisei and the smaller model.

I felt the butterflies when we clashed. He was on the back foot immediately, the way he looked at me was full of rage and fire. It made my heart flutter in my chest. He fought back ferociously, like a caged dog, or a demon. We danced, our swords singing through the air, colliding and separating. We crashed together. The air went from chilly to hot due to our melee, with Kazuma's unabashed confidence in his prowess with a sword proving to be slight trouble for me.

"I'll show you the power of humanity, WITHOUT Kamui!" he roared. Something was coming out of his back, some... gray strings? All of a sudden, Junketsu jerked me out of the clash.

"What are you doing, Junketsu?" I snapped.

**"Something isn't right, Satsuki, Kazuma is... off,"**

"Why're you dodging? Don't you want to win, Satsuki?! Cage this animal again!" he snarled, the fibers stretching out towards me, I slashed at them, dodging more slashes from his blades. Whatever he was... he was strong. He swayed back, his eyes looking down at his right arm, seeing the gray strands. He smirked.

"Seems like my actions didn't lie when I was feeling this pain, now I don't want to hold back!" he declared, charging and restraining me with the gray fibers. I broke free, using the thruster at Junketsu's back to slam him into the courtyard below, the strands grabbing at support and slowing his descent. His smaller blade clattered to the ground, with him only using the longer one.

I slammed down, a cloud of dust obscuring my route to him. He stood limply, blood trickling down his face. I swelled one of his eyes shut, his right. His left glared at me and gray fibers swam in the surrounding air. He swayed forward, his legs moving, his mouth fixed into a confident grin, his strands wrapped around his right arm. He was determined to win, I'll give him that.

"Hah... hah... hahn... c'mon... hit me!" he gasped, his strands pulsing gently, his blood pooling below him, his eye filled with hatred. He slashed weakly. The sword stabbed into the ground and I heard a gasp.

**"This is sad,"**

"Tell me about it," I sighed. Then, just as he was about to fall, he rushed me, his eye wide and his sword at the ready to slash me again. He screamed and caught me on the cheek, I felt a sting and something wet trickle down. He smirked. I grabbed him and pinned him down with my blade stabbed near his ear. My knee was on his chest. That cowed the once hot-blooded boy. The night air was chilling, and the light was fading fast.

"You got me," He stated, not surprised in the slightest. He smiled.

"You kept up well, and here's a reward for that," I said, leaning down and pecking him on the forehead, but he leaned up at the last second, and I met his lips. 'WHAT THE-? NO!' I thought, realizing he tricked me. He was rather clever with his actions sometimes when he wasn't having a raging fit.

He separated from me, "That was simultaneously the dumbest and greatest thing I've ever done before... Now I know how strong you are with Junketsu... next time I'll show you the power of me and Kibonochi!" he vowed. I still pinned him, and he looked up at me a little closer.

"You're blushing," he observed.

"What?! No... no, I'm not..." I dismissed.

"Oh yeah? Then why're you doin' it?" he asked. It was true, I was blushing. Mostly from his trick kiss. I was being stupid about the thoughts again. He was torn up, beaten down, so why did I find him to be so cute? Maybe it was his gung-ho countenance, his serene smile, and ready laugh? Or maybe it was because he understood exactly what I went through?

* * *

I picked him up, Junketsu fell out of his synced form. Kazuma could barely look me in the eyes, mostly because of his wounds. I carried him to the fork in the hall.

"Okay, carry me to my room..." he sighed.

He then passed out, and I studied how he sleeps, because he's training, or I see bags under his eyes. I carried him to my room. His bandages were soaked with sweat and blood. I patiently and gently cleaned his wounds and bandaged them again. He looked so peaceful in his slumber.

I took off Junketsu and put on some lighter clothes to sleep in, Junketsu stared down at me.

**"You love him, don't you?"**

I nodded, holding him and petting his hair casually as if there was nothing wrong. Which there wasn't, besides the kiss and the awkwardness after such a move. He was grinning, huddled close to my chest, over my heart and gently breathing. In. Out. In. Out. Calm.

**"Then why don't you act on it?"**

"It's not tactically workable, I'd be more worried about him and..."

**"What do you say when you bring your heart into it?"**

"I want to protect him, I want to... to bring him a little of peace. I want to take his pain away for a bit...if only to see that smile of his," I said. I saw that precious brief candle of a smile shine and waver a bit. I could see why Mother liked him. But I hated the fact that she did. She killed Kazuma's father and almost killed his mother. All to get him. Now he distrusted her and had a twinge of distrust for me because of my manipulation, or my attempt at it. Or maybe it was from the odd thing he brought up? I didn't know exactly what he was talking about.

He shifted a little, "Sa... Tsuki..." he mumbled. His smile fell, and he thrashed a little. His voice growling and snarling, his grip on me tightened. I restrained him gently and firmly.

"Don'... do... don'... take... her... 'way..." He pleaded.

"Kazuma, I know you can't hear me, but I'm right here, I won't leave," I assured.

"Stay... stay... little longer..."

"Stay with me... a little longer..."

He kept on mumbling and thrashing weakly, his head swiveling a little. It worried me. This side of him was heavily kept under layers of bluffing and misdirection. Even anger and blazing barbs of sarcasm and cynicism. I watched some gray fibers wheel through the still and artificial air, knitting his smaller wounds into healed and new skin.

I didn't know what was happening. All I knew was that his body was consumed by gray fibers, highly similar to the Life Fibers. We don't exactly know what they are, so I dubbed them, 'Gray Fibers'. They were protective, winding around Kazuma's right arm most of the time. They felt like garrote wire, hardening to barbed. They could also become rigid, like walls. They only came out when he was in intense pain or distress. He only showed this power after his visit to Shiroi Haibara... which meant he gained it while there. Or he always had it, it just wasn't so refined.

We both had gained a new power. With Kazuma having the Gray Fibers and me having Junketsu. I just hope that we have time to understand them and adapt accordingly. The proper test was fighting against someone in another Kamui... Matoi would be perfect. I looked down at the sleeping face of Kazuma and leaned down to his ear.

"Goodnight, Kazuma,"

And the smile was back, that candlelight smile. The smile I wanted to bring back and now I could... but something still held me back from making us a true full-blown couple. That roadblock was still hard to get over. That roadblock was obvious and a problem. It was the road to my rebellion, the one person I'm rebelling against knows more about Kazuma than I do, and even more than he does.

I had to stick my neck out to get my answers, but if it was for my rebellion, my promise to my father and baby sister, and for Kazuma to keep smiling...?

Anything.


	6. Episode 6: Found Myself

All I felt was a stinging headache. The fight last night was barely even a fight. It was a sad attempt at one. I felt the stings of her slashes, tasted the blood in my mouth, felt the power of Junketsu first-hand... and it disappointed me. It disappointed me in Satsuki's rush into Kamui Training. It took me MONTHS of training to be fit enough for a Kamui's power, even by Ragyo (I now refuse to call her Mother) awakening my inner potential in the most erotic way possible.

By making me suffer. By making me lose my innocence, she awakened my Gray Fibers.

Then Satsuki shows my entire work, my whole IDENTITY the front door and kicks me out on the curb. I couldn't bring myself to be mad. She had to keep up her rivalry with Ryuko Matoi. I was laying in something warm and soft, almost velvety, with my hands gliding over something smooth. I was too hot to open my eyes; it felt like skin almost. The surrounding softness was a blanket... but what the hell was I holding?

Normally I would crack open an eye and peek, but... I just wanted to lay there and bask in the warmth of whatever I was holding. I heard the door open and someone come in.

"Lady Satsuki? Where's Lord Kazuma?" Ira's voice asked.

"Oh, wait... you're asleep," he conceded.

Wait... Satsuki's in my bed? Or am I in hers...? The door closed, and I felt something shift below me, and warm hands pressed against my back. Then I felt a weight on the top of my head. I didn't want to move, but I needed to clean my scabs off. I smiled, raising my head and opening my eyes. There she was. She was laying her head on the top of mine, warm and soft. A departure from the strong and cold Satsuki I knew on the outside.

She looked so peaceful and satisfied, like she got what she wanted. Which was me, I guess? I don't know. I guess this came after a kiss... not that Ragyo ever explained it to me or her. Or even gave it much of a mind. I heard her yawn and saw her open her eyes. I smirked.

"Morning, Satsuki," I greeted.

"Good morning, Kazuma..." she mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She looked so... normal. Like she was just an average eighteen-year-old girl that didn't run a glorified military academy. That was the best night's sleep I've ever gotten, but we were still awkward about our feelings. I kissed her, and I could tell she liked it, It's just...

Well...

Kind of saddening. Out of all the options, Uzu, Ira, Iori, hell... even Houka. She picks me. The constantly panicking boy who has panic attacks just because he heard high heels, the boy who seems to fuck up everything, and the one most likely to accidentally blow up half the school/manor/public place in the heat of battle. I'm not good enough for her. She's on a whole different plane of existence to me.

I didn't know what was so impressive about me. I'm thinking this is all just a good old-fashioned pity relationship. She's just going to bring herself down. I was just pitied. That's my value to Ragyo. That I'm cute. Or handsome, or I can corral the Grand Courtier who looks exactly like my little sister. My value to Satsuki was that I could be a great punching bag, where she can take care of me, they're the same in that regard.

They baby me. Even if I'm short (taller than Nonon, shorter than Uzu and Satsuki.) I can and will kick their asses. I guess it's my... ugh... 'angry smollness' that makes me so appealing to people. Or just appealing to Satsuki. I still felt rather hurt by Satsuki so willing to come to a Kamui for help, even if she wore it that never meant that they were to get along.

I just felt so betrayed and disappointed in her. I always believed that she could be as strong if not stronger than her mother just by hard work and determination. While I ran my rhetoric for training fast, forget why you're training, and scream louder. That's why my gym had soundproofing. Things get loud because I'm doing what I usually do. She was the same as me in that regard, too. Except she was terse and petty, like Ragyo.

That's not to say I'm not a dumbass. I'm just scared of being alone. That's why I did stupid things, to at least feel normal. So I can feel the right love that Uzu and Ira talked about whenever family came up. Uzu sharing news of battle scars with his dad and mom, getting praised for them. Ira working hard at his family's forge and bravely taking on all challenges to the pride of his clan. Then there's me.

A messed up boy with an overly creepy guardian, a girl who loves me who I saw as a sister for the longest time, a hermit for a mom, a cutesy little sister that I CAN'T STAND (sometimes depending on which one.), and a dead father. Aren't I just a three-ring-circus of mental trauma? I got out of bed, shuffling back to my room and seeing no one else in there. I didn't want to watch Satsuki curb stomp Matoi.

It would be one-sided and full of collateral damage. I undid my dirty bandages and got into the shower. My shower time was sacred because I knew I was safe here, I'd spend around an hour meticulously washing myself off. Then there was Kibonochi, who I tossed in the washer last night, and he moved himself over to the dryer. I put him on after my shower, finding that Ira and Uzu were waiting.

"Sir, Lady Satsuki has requested that you watch her duel with Matoi," Ira intoned.

"Nah," I denied.

"She's insisted, says she wants you to be there in case... you know... 'she' shows up," Uzu hinted.

"Shit, Nui's gonna come?" I asked.

"Yeah, it seems like her mission was over early," Ira sighed.

"That's not good..." I sighed.

Ira and Uzu both put their hands on my shoulders.

"Good luck, sir..."

"Good luck, man..."

* * *

All I knew was that I was the only one following the action. They were fast, destructive, and loud. More even than one-sided. Blood rained down from the both of them, I clenched my fists, rage bubbling up against Matoi. I felt a heat in my cheeks.

"Rrr... SATSUKI! KICK HER ASS! I SWEAR IF YOU DON'T STOP HOLDING BACK, I'VE HALF A MIND TO COME DOWN THERE AND DO IT FOR YOU!" I yelled, clenching Kouheisei's hilt and getting my teeth, I'd never been more invested in such a blood sport. This is all it was, a blood sport to see which woman was stronger. I was watching with intense fervor. My sword was at the ready to intervene. I tensed, seeing Satsuki's Kamui steam. She was running out of time.

"Kibonochi! I gotta get down there!" I yelled, jumping.

**"ARE YOU INSANE?! YOU'LL DIE!"**

"TOO LATE! ALREADY FALLING!" I screamed, my sword out as I flew into the steam cloud. I blocked Matoi's blade, and the steam cleared, Satsuki was wounded and staggering on her feet. I stood in front of her.

"Kazuma...! Out of my... way...!" Satsuki gasped.

"No, that's enough. If you keep going, you'll die," I said. Matoi's Kamui was torn up, with battle damage and debris already being cleaned up. Matoi glared at me silently, scoffing and turning on her heel, stalking off. I turned to Satsuki. I went up to her, reaching out gently. She smacked my hand away, "Get your hands off me! Why did you intervene?!" she snapped.

"Oh, so the woman that single-handedly knows how to run the school without panic in the world DOESN'T DIE?! What were you thinking?! Oh wait, you weren't thinking at all! You pulled a Kazuma!" I snarled.

"That's rich coming from the man that's so smart that he invented a sword fighting style all his own, only to bow to a woman that killed his father!" Satsuki went for the low blow.

"OH YEAH?! WELL, AT LEAST I HAVE A MOM!" I shot back. Satsuki and I glared at each other, our eyes like fire and ice. She teetered and fell against me. Satsuki wrapped her arms around me, her blood falling on Kibonochi's shoulder. I carried her back up to the others.

"Ah, immature love..." Nonon sighed.

"Can it, pipsqueak, your childhood friend is bleeding on me," I growled.

"Ooh, kinky," Uzu hooted.

"Shut it, Uzu, otherwise I'll kick your mamby-pamby ass!" I snarled.

"Aw... you DO care about Satsuki!" Nonon said.

"Just shut up and let me patch her up! I'm worried! I'm not gonna let her die, not when... when... DAMMIT!" I yelled, I almost let my feelings show. I hated Uzu and Nonon sometimes. I edged past them and over to the residential quarters. Ira was training, and I needed to take off Junketsu. It tore him up, poor guy. He stared at me with a worried glint.

"Yeah, yeah, I know..." I sighed.

Junketsu's eyes widened and glittered.

"Feelings are mutual, Junketsu... I just... can't act on 'em..." I admitted.

**"Why can't you?"**

"Well, Kibo... I just... I... I love her too much. I don't wanna feel like I'm choking her..." I sighed, gently edging Junketsu off Satsuki. He extracted himself and I walked with him to the Sewing Club room. Iori and I tolerated each other, he was jealous of my closeness with Satsuki. When the chips were down, though, he would make Kibonochi his best self.

"Just look at this wear and tear on both Kibonochi and Junketsu! What were you two doing?" Iori snarled, his blond hair in a mess as he prowled around me.

"Look, just fix Junketsu, I can fix Kibonochi on my own," I sighed.

"You can't! Mrs. Kaguya's stitching is the hardest in the world to replicate! And you... you have... BUTTERFINGERS! It's like watching a tiger tear into a carcass! Take Kibonochi off, NOW!" Iori harped, stomping up to me and staring right into my eyes.

"Tch, fine..." I conceded. I took off Kibonochi, or tried to, he clung onto me.

**"Nonono! The needle hurts!"**

I ran my hand gently over his top, his eye closed, and I smirked.

"You're comin' out of this better, quit yer whinin'," I chided. I left for Satsuki's room, wearing my boxers and undershirt. I didn't want to leave her for too long, but I heard something almost unheard of. Some burbling, heavy sighing, and shaking noise coming from her room. Was she... crying? Satsuki was CRYING?! I came in and saw her crying, tears streaming down her face, making me realize that I fucked up, or she felt like she fucked up.

I grabbed the stuff I needed, patiently cleaning her wounds and bandaging them. She'd be too tired to move, so I need to be by her side. She just laid there, crying for the first time I've ever seen her do it in my years of knowing her. She always seemed so unbreakable. I understood better than anyone. I didn't want to go. Even people like Satsuki need a shoulder to cry on.

She cried in my arms, tearstains were on my shirt and I just held her tight.

"Shh... shh... let it out, okay? Everyone's gotta cry sometimes..." I muttered, smiling.

"How... how can you smile when my mother did those things to you...? How can you keep going when everyone doubts you?" she asked, sniveling a little.

"I learned a long time ago that you have to keep going... regardless of what happens, you take on the challenge after challenge, no matter what. What matters is the people and places you go to forget the past. Every time I look in the mirror I see my dad... I wonder if he's watchin' over me," I sighed, smiling bitterly.

"I just realized that I may look like my mother... and if our feelings stand the test of time, will you still love me?" she asked. I let my grin fall and I looked dead into her eyes.

"Look. You're not like your mother, she wants to see the world her way. You'll never be like her. Sure, you have some traits of hers, but... I'd still know that it's you," I declared. I wanted to assure her that Ragyo's shadow would be forgotten, but... it seemed like it wasn't meant to be. It felt like my destiny was fast approaching. The gate was coming up, and I wasn't knocked down!

I sat up and kissed Satsuki on the forehead.

"I'm gonna face my destiny, so if I don't come back... find Kouheisei, wield him alongside Bakuzan," I said, getting out of the bed.

"Kazuma?" she asked.

"Hm? Yeah, Satsuki?" I ventured.

"Never hold back, even if your back is against the wall," she said.

I nodded.

* * *

I knew exactly where the old house was; it was deep in the mountains. Even past Shiroi Haibara. It was a charred black mess, brittle and still smelling of smoke. It was a bad time to speed my way there. REVOCS was protecting the place like it was Fort Knox. So being as I was a 'Rebellious Child', they were to capture me alive if possible.

As if I'd even let them have the chance. Kibonochi billowed gently in the wind. I dismounted from my motorbike, turning it off and clenching Kouheisei's hilt. I won't use Kibonochi for this, for all I knew Iori probably hijacked him. I stood at the ready, a little hesitant. Turning my back on the only people I ever knew as a family was tough. But that opened so many doors and closed so many others. No more pressure, no more impressing a psychopathic fashionista, just use your sword to carve out a wonderful future for yourself. That's all I have to do! SO LET'S GO!

Kouheisei gleamed in the light, and the REVOCS guys mobilized. I forwent not using Kibonochi. If Iori did something wrong, he wouldn't have given him back.

"KIBONOCHI!" I called.

**"YEAH! Got it!"**

I jumped, syncing with Kibonochi instead of eradicating the Gray Fibers in my body. Instead of the Oni configuration, the cyber-samurai look came back. Jetstream was back, baby! I came down upon them like an avenging spirit, my sword slashing their weapons, running past them, I kicked off the crumbling wall, my sword slashing through their suits, feeling them tear under the slender bough of steel.

Gray Fibers dug into my body, sending drilling pains into it. I hissed and shut my eyes, feeling the pain abate. My body shook with sadistic glee. It's been a long time since I could let loose like this. Normally, I wouldn't sync up with Kibonochi unless I needed to. Normally, I'd destroy my Gray Fibers to glean power from him. Instead, I synced up.

I laughed. Slashing through those guys, leaving no witnesses. I stood in the wreckage of my house, feeling the hot, stinking blood permeate through my skin. Feeling the Gray Fibers drilling into me with pain. I laughed and laughed, feeling some well-deserved catharsis. Then I dropped my sword, coated in red.

"Kid?"

"I... I... I did that...? I did that?" I mumbled.

"Yeah, but it's alright! You-"

"No! For once in your life, shut up! You don't get it... I... I killed those guys... I just... lost it," I mumbled, the rain started to fall, washing the blood away. I stared at the burnt-out husk of my home. Remembering just barely what it was like all together. A jagged wooden sign was at my feet. I picked up Kouheisei and sheathed it.

**"It's got your last name on it, Kaz…"**

I retracted my mask and picked it up. It had my surname carved there. What happened? I could never remember, but it seemed like an explosive device that was pre-planted here blew up to cover Ragyo's tracks… I noticed an odd metal door, charred black and rusted from years of being exposed to the elements. I grabbed at the wheel and turned, *Skkkrrrrrreeeeee…. Skrrrrrrreeeeeee….* It screeched, opening. It yawned open, spilling the rain and wind into the rooms inside. I went down the steps, seeing an immaculately running lab, still operational for whoever was here last. The door hissed closed behind me.

*Skrrt Ee… Chunk!*

**"Kazuma! I remember this place now!"**

"Huh? How?" I asked.

**"I was made here, kid! Don't forget that I'm a piece of clothing,"**

I rolled my eyes, seeing a set of files on a desk, covered in dust and yellowed in the stiff laboratory air. Fluorescent lights buzzed gently down on the yellowed pages. I picked them up and cracked the manila envelope open. I saw a binder full of loose-leaf paper.

_Project Threadbare: Entry 1 12/20._

_We've done it! We have a viable subject for the experiment. My flesh and blood son, my pride and joy! My precious little Subject K._

_Flavia was so relieved that it was born healthy and happy._

_Experiment 1: Life Fiber Resistance._

_Subject K seems to have an aversion to Life Fibers, being that they died in contact with its skin. It's Kamui who must attract that and also mirror or mimic that ability._

_I clenched the page, my mind confirmed that it was true. The next page covered something that I was shocked about._

_Sources for Life Fibers for Kibonochi._

_The REVOCS corporation generously donated the source of its' Kamui's life Fibers for the advancement of the subject, and the CEO has taken a shine to the thing. She has an interest in it. Flavia's concerns are only that: concerns. Only smoke and mirrors. I would not willingly put it in harm's way. I can promise my wife that much._

"I was just… a weapon? Just a genderless… weapon?" I mumbled. I had the desire to read on, I needed to know the truth about what I was, why was I so special?

_Subject K's 'Mothers'_

_I don't know why, but Flavia has been mothering Subject K, with favorable results, Ragyo has taken some time to mother it, she has even more favorable results with K than my wife. It maybe has something to do with the fact that it desires maternal affection. It goes to them for comfort and then tries to leave with them when they leave. It's territorial, only permitting me a certain distance away from it. It doesn't allow me to touch it or that sword it carries like a security blanket. It's only two years old, and it already knows who its mothers are._

I felt sick. My father wrote these notes. He treated me like a weapon, a new test subject. And I saw my mother and Ragyo as replacements for the affection I wanted. I continue to read, despite the heavy revelations. The last one I read was one that I wasn't disgusted by for once.

_Name._

_Subject K's development has been proceeding by leaps and bounds, it has already learned speech from Ragyo and numbers and letters from Flavia._

_She has rewarded him with a name: Kazuma. It means 'true harmony' which is quite fitting for it._

So there it was the truth about me. About my attachment to Ragyo being that I replaced my mother's affection for hers. I could understand why. I took the files with me. Kibonochi was silent as I had told him. All I needed was to find myself. But when there's nothing but one big blank where my family should be. Only three pieces remained. Me. My mom. My sisters.

She was a genuine piece of work, brainwashed relentlessly like I was, but I had a stronger will. She would cling to me a lot, hiding her face in the back of my shirt. Her name was Nui. Ragyo took my little sister and made her into a monster. She turned me into a broken kid with no idea of who he is. We used to be so close, Nui and I. She would always tag along with the cute brief smile of a proud little sister.

She worshipped me, I was her hero. We were two years apart... but I lost her in the house that night. She was clinging to me, but then let go to get Dad out. Then, when I was eleven was when I met little Nui Harime. She was nine, her hair long and poofy, her sweet little smile and shining eyes were familiar. It was my little sister, and I remember hugging her tightly, thinking Nui would still be in there.

But all they replaced her with was a monster preaching the praises of the very things we were told to destroy. I found it to be a nice bit of karma when she got her eye cut out. It turns out that the Nui I know as a sister is the original one. The one who is the Grand Courtier was my little sister's twin.

Now? I wanted to leave it all behind. I wanted to know what I was, and I got my answer.

I'm a weapon, simple. So was my little sister. We were two weapons, we ARE two weapons. Both in the hands of different wielders. I've been fighting back against the chains they have bound me with. Trying to live as I thought best. Now I was stripped of my identity, trying to find it was going to take all I had. Who was I? Kazuma Kiryuin? Kazuma Kaguya? Or was I just Kazuma?

A hero? A villain?

A man in love or a man in denial?

A samurai? An oni? A koi? A dragon?

Was I just playing right into Ragyo's hands? I didn't know...

But I'll be damned if I let her control me again. It's my destiny to end this cycle of bloodshed. The Kaguyas and Kiryuins orbited each other ever since the yarn thing decided our families would be at constant war. Now, all it took was one more spark to set the fires of war ablaze.

* * *

My burner went off, and I answered.

_"Big bro! Hey!"_

It was my little sister.

"Nui? What's up?" I asked.

_"Nothin', you cleared out those poopheads at the old house, right? There's only you on the scopes!"_

"Yeah, so... our other little sister was also named Nui... any reason?" I asked.

_"Well... I think it's 'cause Ragyo liked us as a set! So... she made another me from your DNA and her DNA, like a hair or something, to make another me!"_

I shuddered at the implications. If Ragyo was banging me for all I was worth, maybe she took some of my sperm cells to make the Other Nui? So technically, if I were to go with my theory... I'd be a father. To my little 'sister'... well, in this theory's case, my daughter.

What. The? Hell?!

It's not like I can just waltz on over to Ragyo and ask her how she made Other Nui. I mean, seriously, I think it's my sister's hair theory holds more water. I don't wanna think about it too much. I made my way back to the monastery, thinking about the files in my arms, I came up to my mother's door.

I hesitated, hearing something on the other side.

_Goro! Not the water gun!_

_Hey, hey! Rags! Stop, not the bucket!_

I froze, Mom was just as broken as I was. She was friends with Ragyo, trusted her to look after me before she went insane. If I wasn't born... maybe Ragyo wouldn't have gone insane... I had a sinking feeling, listening to Mom's little home video watching party. The last tape was heartbreaking to her, I heard her crying.

_What's his name, honey?_

_It's Kazuma, Goro, he's gonna change the world one day..._

Now, look at me, seventeen with no idea what to do. Going up against an entire colony of Life Fibers with a pointy metal stick and super-clothing. Raped by the creepy guardian that just LOVED to fuck me up. How am I gonna change the world?

I'm just a kid. A stupid, insignificant kid in love with a woman that knows exactly what she's doing! I mess up everything I touch! I'm insecure, paranoid, cowardly, and above all... Above all... I was still a koi. No one will ever help me when I fuck everything up and jumpstart the stupid apocalypse! Satsuki, Ira, Uzu, Nonon, Houka, Shiro, Soroi, Nui, Barber, MOM?!

All of them will die. All of them, because of me. Me, the Conqueror Worm. Me, the William Wilson that was supposed to save the day... killed by himself... Then I'll watch the world burn. All safe in Ragyo's arms, dying. Her holding me, shushing me, watching the life fade from my eyes, holding me tight against her. The Queen of Nothing. I clenched my hands into fists, Kibonochi's eye flicked up to watch me silently.

**"Kid... you need not change the world..."**

"It sure as hell feels like I need to..." I sighed.

**"Kaz, this isn't your mess..."**

I couldn't take it, not anymore. I busted down the door, sending it screaming out of my way. Mom jumped, dabbing at her eyes, in my rage, I slammed the files down.

"Why?" I demanded.

"What?" Mom asked.

"Why did you make me?! Why do I have Gray Fibers?!" I snarled.

"Kazuma..."

"Mom, answers, now! None of this mamby pamby sugarcoating! Am I a weapon or not?!" I roared.

"Kazuma, that wasn't the purpose of your birth, okay?" she assured.

"Oh yeah? So what is it? Am I... am I just a monster?" I asked.

Mom stood, grabbing my hands and staring into my eyes. I flinched but soon regained my composure.

"Kazuma, not once during my pregnancy did I ever expect that your father would break our family apart. I wanted to mother you so badly... I wanted you to be happy, I wanted to hug you and make you feel wanted, just... let me be your mother again, please?" she pleaded.

I hesitated. Not sure what she wanted out of me. Ragyo did the same thing. Smother me in her arms and chest, kissing me and making me feel like I belonged. Mom knew that, and that's why she was crying so much. She was torn away from me, replaced by someone else who ruined the idea of a mother's love for me. A mother's love to me meant being destroyed to at least see some concern, or see that smile again.

I felt her arms around me, squeezing me tightly. She was shorter than me, with my height and most other traits coming from my cheater of a dad. I then broke. My emotions barely held back. Little me came out, sobbing and seeing Mama again.

I sobbed and sobbed, "Mom... Mom..." I sniffed.

"Shh... it's alright... let it out, okay?" she huffed.

* * *

I made it back to the Academy to see Satsuki waiting for me. She looked a little... relieved? Is that the right word? Yeah, relieved. I walked up to her.

"Yo, what's goin' on, Satsy?" I greeted. She rolled her eyes, of course, she hated that nickname... I loved teasing her so much, though... she grabbed my hand and we walked inside, she kept on looking severe, not telling me anything. I was a little weirded out. I warily clenched Kouheisei's hilt. She went into my room, and I followed her. She was sitting on the bed.

It was time. Time for me to show her the scars on my back. I hid them well, always wearing a shirt or covering them with bandages. All around us were my notes, my corkboard chronicle of all the evidence at how messed up everything was. How everything was hinged on us. I sat down next to her. I undid my shirt and tossed it into the hamper.

She looked at my scars in quiet shock, seeing the jagged Goku Uniform Stars etched into my back. They still burned a little. I looked away in shame. They went from my waist to my shoulders, wrapped around the front and were on the backs of my arms. Similar to the seven stars on Ragyo's back. Oddly enough, Nui had a scar too. It looked like they slashed her eye, but my Nui encountered no one who could do that so far.

"So I'll never forgive Ragyo, I'll be looking at these for the rest of my life..." I sighed. I felt a hand on them, warm and gentle. I leaned back.

"At least you won't have to," Satsuki said.

"Huh?" I asked.

"Consider this a present from me to you, I commissioned a tattoo artist to cover it, well... Ira volunteered," she reasoned.

"Oh no... Nonononono! I hate needles, and storms, and icy hands! RAINBOWS TOO!" I howled, inching away.

"Relax, y' big dummy! Satsuki was just kidding..." Nonon piped up when we got to the chair. I was shaking. I never got a tattoo before. Satsuki held my right hand, and Ira held my left. I closed my eyes. I know that it'll only hurt a little. If it meant killing one thing, that'll remind me of Ragyo, anything.

It was a sheer marvel of art, a dragon wrapped around a koi, flames on my arms, and they were exquisitely detailed. I stood over the courtyard, my duty as Satsuki's second-in-command coming into full effect today because of Satsuki having 'urgent business' to attend to. What Ragyo wanted was anyone's guess, but I knew it wasn't good.

I saw a pair of girls wander in; they were my targets, Mako Mankanshoku and Ryuko Matoi... one had a bobbed hairstyle and looked plain. The other though, the other one looked like... Ragyo. Face shape-wise, hairstyle when it's not trying to be pretentious. The only other differences were the color and the glare, eyebrows too. She looked like an odd mix of Ragyo, Uncle Soichiro, and Satsuki all mushed together.

Sometimes Satsuki would bring up she had a baby sister. Now that I'm thinking about it, and the similarities between all three shows... This Matoi girl is Satsuki's sister! No doubt about it! I got excited and extended the staircase to meet them. I stepped down, hearing the bob-headed girl gasp.

"OH MY GOD! Ryuko, hurry! Bow! Bow!" she urged. She yanked her down.

"The hell?" Ryuko hissed back.

"That's Lord Kazuma! He's scary and super strong! I heard he took on Lady Satsuki and almost WON!" she squeaked. Ryuko didn't bow and I stood tall.

"So, you're this... Kazuma guy that everyone's been squawking about?" Ryuko asked.

"Yes, I am, I'm Kazuma Kaguya, second in command of Hannouji Academy," I said. Upon closer inspection, her face looked more like Ragyo's. The more I looked at it, the angrier I got. She was pissing me off by proxy!

**"Kid, easy! Calm down!"**

Kibonochi's eye flicked up to me, Ryuko gawked at that.

"You... you got one too?!" she gasped.

"Uh, yeah? Look, since Satsuki isn't here, I'm gonna be your opponent, sound good?" I asked. Ryuko considered this and smiled.

"Sure," she agreed. I smiled widely, finally able to let loose against yet another Kamui! I was so excited! I loved combat more than I loved the food! I love Satsuki above those two! But something about Ryuko made my heart pound, something about her made me angry, and I wanted to slaughter her! That's what love is! To love something so much that you'd hurt someone or kill them to feel it!

That's what I learned from my dear 'Mother' after all. I smirked.

"LET'S ROCK, KIBONOCHI!" I yelled.

**"GOTCHA!"**

"Gray Fiber Synchronize: KAMUI KIBONOCHI!" I roared, feeling Kibonochi shift around me. My eyes were wide and my smile wider. Instead of the cybernetic samurai look, I had a new set of threads! They were more like a Roman centurion's wear, without the helmet, and it exposed my chest and back. Kibonochi's eye was on the scarf that flowed behind me.

I unsheathed Kouheisei, pointing it at Ryuko, imagining Ragyo standing in her place, my pupils were small, my smile wider than it had ever been before. My teeth gritted. They don't call me the Mad Dragon of Hannouji for nothing! I'm gonna grind Matoi down to paste! Then I'll ready the others and we'll take on Ragyo! I was SO! PUMPED! UP!

"Bring it on, RYUKO MATOI!" I roared. We clashed, her fighting style and work with her Kamui showing through, but I will not deny my brutality! I kicked her in the stomach, sending her careening toward the far wall. I kept up the pressure, quickly becoming consumed by my desire and urge killing. Replacing Ryuko with Ragyo, seeing her face twisted up with exertion and fear.

"YOU TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME, YOU RAINBOW HAIRED BITCH!" I yelled, clashing harshly against the scissor Matoi carries.

"You took my father, my home, my innocence, my mother and sister, EVERYTHING! BUT I WON'T LET YOU TAKE AWAY MY LIFE!" I screamed. I was brutally bringing my sword down over and over, pounding Matoi into the ground.

**"KAZUMA, STOP!"**

My arms froze, and I was panting. My eyes went blurry. I cried, "S-sorry... I'm sorry..." I sniffed, breaking down and stabbing my sword into the ground, still in anger and sadness. Ryuko got up and reached out her hand. I found out I took her scissor and I was slamming Matoi with the flat of my blade. I tipped it towards her, she took it and I turned away.

"Hang on," Ryuko piped up.

"What?" I asked.

"What was with that?" she asked.

"None of your business, you'll know soon, I'm sure," I huffed.

She hesitated, "Kazuma, you're not... you're not so bad, so why do you work for Satsuki?" she wondered.

"Isn't it obvious? I love her," I reasoned.

We parted ways. I was still a little unsure. I was scared and confused. Feeling like everything was my fault. I lost my mind just then. Imagining revenge was much more different from doing it. I went back up the steps and stalked into my office. The Elites were tense. They all saw what I was like when Satsuki wasn't around before... I was morose and cold, angry and pacing. Speaking to myself.

No wonder everyone thought I was crazy...


	7. Episode 7: The Sworn Brothers

Things end. Things begin. I know that now. I wasn't sure if this was an end or a beginning. Satsuki came back and Matoi kept on coming. But waking up day in and day out, wanting things to change? It was hard, waking up and raising my head. Smiling hurt, laughing even more so. I needed to be serious, but... when does it stop? When will it stop? This drive for a better future? I just wanted to end this already.

At this point, Satsuki strong-armed me into taking a break with her.

"It's obvious that you're stressed, and you have crippling mental issues, you need to take a break," she sighed.

"You can't do this to me, I gotta keep on watchin' if somebody starts to make moves!" I objected, my paranoia was talking. Satsuki glared at me and I wilted. I knew my place.

* * *

**[Episode 7: The Sworn Brothers.]**

* * *

I ended up writing some poetry, it was more free verse than usual.

_Scrambling, running from one place to another._

_Hand in hand with you, running and lagging into the light._

_Scalding bright._

I named it Runner and tore it out of the notebook. I put into a poem anthology I was slapping together just because I was bored. Then I considered sketching out Satsuki. A present for always being there when I needed her and also when I didn't, for being the constant. Never changing, never leaving. Always by my side, always with me.

I drew her smile, I drew her varying expressions from memory alone, it wasn't perfect, but it was rather accurate to what I wanted to put down. I also drew what I could remember from my past. The burning house, the lightning in the window, bits, and pieces of Nui and Mom. I looked down at Satsuki's page and signed it. All I had to do now was wait again, despite my hatred for waiting. I had hung up Kouheisei and Kibonochi, giving him adequate sleep. I saw Uzu stalk up to me, his lips downturned into a scowl aside from the confident smirk I usually saw him bear.

"That... that... dishonorable bitch! I'll show her! I'll show her what happens when you force a man to change! Lord Kazuma! Cut out my eyes!" he demanded, standing over me.

"No, go to Iori for that. If you lost, then that is what your lot is. You must better yourself, Uzu, your overconfidence in your Goku Uniform is what cost you, I will not allow weak talk from you again," I said.

"Sir!" he yelled, snapping into a salute.

"Also, stop with the salutes and formality, you've been my best friend ever since I could remember," I chuckled, watching him walk off. Ira stomped up to me, kneeling.

"Lord Kazuma, why're you so relaxed?" he asked.

"I'm relaxing due to all the stress and paranoia I've been feeling. I was wondering if you'd like some soda? It's imported from the states, I got a can or two," I suggested.

Ira chuckled, "What?" I asked.

"You're like night and day compared to Lady Satsuki,"

I smirked, "Yeah, guess I am," I conceded, digging around for my portable cooler and opening it up, taking out two cans.

"Here you go, Ira!" I chirped, handing him the can. He smiled.

"Thank you, Lord Kazuma," he said.

"Nah, just call me Kazuma, I'm far from a lord of any kind," I sighed. Ira grew stern, and he put his gargantuan hand on my head.

"Kazuma, you are my lord. I will be you and Lady Satsuki's shield, but my specific instructions when I was recruited was to protect you, seeing you so broken... it broke my vow. You were weak, broken, and so..." he faltered.

"Small?" I offered.

"Yes, that," he confirmed. With a popping of two tabs, we drank liberally, watching the clouds drift in the sky. The day was mostly peaceful.

"Ira? Do you think that... that I can get past what Ragyo did to me?" I asked.

"Lo- Kazuma, I don't think you can ever fully push past it, you shoulder that weight, that trauma will always be a part of you," he huffed gently.

"Lady Satsuki cares a lot about you, she was livid when you came back so broken if the slashed-through pillars and dummies were any indication," he continued. I imagined Satsuki, hair frazzled, arms raised high, her blade shining in the light of the training room, relentlessly slashing and stabbing, sweat flinging off her in suicidal bullets of moisture. Her eyes narrowed into blue slivers of fire.

I smiled, we weren't all that different. I trained wildly, with all the killing intent I could muster. Now, I was at peace with one of my best friends sharing a soda with me. I could imagine what a shock it was to see me so relaxed. I wasn't much of a relaxed person. I noticed tar-black clouds start to swallow the blue and the wild wind start to pick up, thunder boomed in the distance and rain started to patter on the pavement, starting to dive down in a drenching flood of bullets.

Ira shielded me and my papers, bringing me inside with a large hand acting as my umbrella. The thunder crashed and I flinched hard. Instead of the intense shotgun-like sound, I was reminded of the stinging slaps to my face from Ragyo. Every flash of lightning in the dark sky was a reminder of the trauma sending my body into convulsions.

I huddled close to Ira, whimpering a little. Storms always scared me, even before that night in Ragyo's room. They were loud, the wind relentless, the thunder growling and snarling like a mighty hound baying in the sky. I just wanted to get inside, the storm intensified and I was more than scared, I was death-gripping Ira by now.

"Kazuma, it's alright, it's just a storm," he assured.

"What if it comes inside?" I squeaked in fear.

Ira chuckled at my innocent question about the weather outside. I pouted.

"Fine, laugh it up, Limpy!" I scoffed.

He then saw me flinch again at another boom of thunder. I just wanted to get to my room and Ira was going to help me get over there. He stayed close and once we got to the fork in the corridor, he turned on his heel and looked back over his shoulder at me.

"Settle this matter with Lady Satsuki, Kazuma," he said. The storm only got worse, forcing me to get going to Satsuki's room before I shut down and had a massive panic attack, the lights flickered quickly.

*tictictic... shoo...* The generator died with a gurgling choke, Ira's jackboots clocked on the hardwood floor and went down to the fuse box. I developed a little bit of a talent for hearing things. I stood before her door, finding out that she'd lit a candle and was reading a new book that was pretty thick, I lightly knocked, flinching at the sound of thunder and tossing the door aside. Satsuki jumped a little.

"Oh! Kazuma, you startled me!" she gasped.

"Sorry, I... well, storm an' all..." I mumbled gently, sitting down next to her. She nodded, engrossed in her book. I smirked and laid my head against her shoulder, watching her reading.

"What're you reading, Satsuki?" I wondered. She smiled a little bit and glanced at me.

"War of the Worlds," she stated.

"Huh, never took you for a huge sci-fi reader," I blithely stated.

"I'm not really, I just decided to branch out and take a little chance," She sighed. I sat there, my head against her shoulder and watching her. I still held my notebook and sketchbook, chock-full of my drawings and writing respectively.

"I see that you have your sketches and writing, that's good," she acknowledged.

"Yeah, pretty much," I laughed weakly.

"What's the matter?" She wondered.

"I just... I drew you from memory," I huffed, my cheeks red and my eyes averted. It was probably ugly as sin but I tried. She took the sheet and looked at it, outside the storm still tantrums, so I was tense. She was scanning it for a few minutes. She was smiling.

"A stunning likeness and-" *KRAKOOOM!* I tackled into her, burying my face in her chest. I was shuddering and I felt tears coursing down my cheeks. I felt her arms around me, holding me tightly.

"Hehe, seems like you still have that fear, remember when we built that tree fort after we saw Jurassic Park?" She wondered.

"Yeah, your mom almost had a heart attack when she saw us building it, it was just a little platform in that big oak tree outside," I sighed, remembering night after night in the summer that we spent time up there. I missed those little things, but I knew that we could try to get them back after everything is said and done.

"One day, I wanna build my kids one, just their little place where they can do what they want, like we did," I sighed.

"Maybe we can, you and me," Satsuki said, looking over at the picture of her and me, my face a bandaged mess from falling off the platform, with Ragyo looking genuinely happy, even proud. I don't remember who took the picture, but I knew that it was way before Ragyo lost it. Satsuki was staring at it with some sort of nostalgia.

I pulled her into my arms and she looked over her shoulder at me.

"I wanna see that day happen, where we can finally have a tree for our bed again," I yawned, burying my face in her hair. She smiled and settled into my arms, closing her eyes. The storm was loud, but in the end, I was already asleep, holding the woman I love in my arms. That's all that I need.

* * *

Inside, the storm got worse, I was standing with Satsuki, both of our Kamuis were active, we were in space, and she was falling back to the planet. I was alone, floating up there with Ragyo ahead of me. Kouheisei was gone and I was blasting towards Ragyo, arms spread wide as if I was jumping into her arms like I did when I was little, back before all of this happened.

"I'll never have a normal life! NOT WITH YOU IN IT!" I screamed, tackling her and flying faster, she struggled. I held her tighter, the only person I thought of... was Satsuki. Her smile, her laugh, her hugs, and gentle kisses. Her kindness and strength. I shut my eyes, feeling Kibonochi pewter out and my arms still tight around Ragyo.

This was a dream. That's all. I never want to make the sacrifice play. I felt her arms around me, squeezing me gently, we were out of air. Her last word...

"Sorry..."

That was all there was, that single word made me wake up. Ragyo would never apologize, never. I wouldn't allow it. A life with her in it would just force me to live in constant fear and pain. Fear from her cold hands and arms, pain from the cuts she wanted to put on me. She was everything I hated, everything I wanted to end. Satsuki stirred around me, pulling me closer and kissing my neck.

I was scared of the future, looking at how things were going now... Matoi was beaten by Uzu, then she beat him, and now he's got his eyes sewn shut. I was still wrestling with my past. I was worried that I'd lose her. Satsuki soon consumed all of my thoughts. She felt for me. She was my heart now. I fell in love with her. Or whatever I thought love was.

I was reckless, heedless of anyone. I wanted to run back to Ragyo and kill her. To end this before it even began. That was a mistake, but I wasn't thinking straight. All I wanted was to end this. If I could kill her... it would ease the pain. It would ease Satsuki's worry. It would end this war my mother's been fighting all this time. I could fix this. Make it all right.

For Satsuki, anything. For the world, everything. I shouldered Kouheisei, ready for the last time I'll ever see her again. I leaned down and kissed Satsuki's cheek. I don't know why, but I decided to swing by Shiroi Haibara to get Mom's opinion.

"Kazuma, that is the DUMBEST thing I've ever heard," she sighed.

"Mom! You don't get it! Don'tcha want this all to end?" I asked.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean that you can just tear right to the finish line! You're blinded by fear and dumbed down by this duty you have to get revenge on her! There's no duty, no rush, Kazuma... you're being just as bad as your father..." she sighed.

"Like hell, you can stop me! I've been training for this for years..." I snarled.

"Kibonochi is nowhere near strong enough to even DENT her..." Mom objected.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because I made him that way!" She yelled. I cocked my head to the side.

"What?" I drawled. Kibonochi seemed pretty confused, too. I thought there was only one Kamui of mine out there...

"That is Kibonochi Koi. You haven't earned the right to wear Ryu. You're too much of a fool!" Mom snapped.

"Oh yeah? Let me guess, you wanted Ragyo to ruin me!" I accused.

Mom clenched her hands into fists, her eyes shut, and then...

"YES! YOU TOOK MY HUSBAND AWAY FROM ME!" she yelled. I slammed my hands on the desk, seeing Mom glare at me.

"So there it is! All because I was born you thought 'Oh I know, how about I abandon my son?' Now, look at me! About to go die and you go ahead and pull this... this..." I faltered off, my chest constricting.

"You don't get it! Project Threadbare was all about Eugenics! Ragyo wanted the perfect child to carry on resistance to Life Fibers, so when you were born, she phased me out of your life! Your first word was for her, your first steps were to her, all of your firsts... she was more of a mother to you than me... Your father loved her more than me, then... I had Nui," she ranted, standing and grabbing my shoulders, tears in the corners of her eyes.

"I loved you, Kazuma! I loved you more than anything! I never gave up trying to find you! Then when I did... I saw how happy you were with her," she sighed.

I tore Kibonochi off my back, my shirt tearing from the force. Revealing my scars, still visible underneath the silver dragon and golden koi on my back. I glared over my shoulder at my mother, who saw them and couldn't meet my gaze.

"I went through hell and back... and you KNEW," I whispered, my voice just a hiss. I hated them both now. I just had to find a way to get my vengeance. But then again, maybe she was right. Maybe I am a fool for just dashing off before coming up with a plan. Since when did my plans ever work though? I was dumb and blind. Stumbling towards a goal that I needed to calm down and take a deep breath before doing anything rash.

I was being dumb, and I needed time to think. If I acted too soon, she could torture some information out of me and all of Satsuki's planning would go down the drain, Mom's too... They'd all be dead and I'd be stuck as Ragyo's little slave for the rest of my life. Stuck with the same person who broke me. Who sent me on this path of vengeance and redemption.

My vengeance was for my lost childhood and lost innocence, not because of my father or mother. My redemption was for all those times I failed Satsuki and Mom and my friends. The only way to redeem myself is to take on the impossible, a borderline demigoddess. End the living nightmare. I know it's not realistic, but then again, how much of my life was? Or is?

I mean, come on, I fight in glorified JRPG armor, the woman who wants to kill me have rainbows coming out of her hair, Uzu's BLIND but can 'see'... then there's Ira. The two Nuis are living paradoxes, my dad is dead (Surprisingly normal.), our clothes talk, and to top it all off... I have some gray string that shoots out of my body. How is any of this considered normal?

I had an idea though...

It was time to summon the Sworn Brothers.

* * *

Osaka was a bright gem on the other side of Japan, one of the three regions still free under REVOCS pressure. All thanks to an old friend of mine. We were opposites when we met... He was taller than me, with orange hair and green eyes. His upper row of teeth was dominated by a grill with the word Zeni stamped on it. His hair was styled in an odd curl. He was partying it up in his penthouse.

He was lounging on a 'throne'. It was more like a comfy armchair. He leaned forward when I came in.

**[Kaneo Takarada. Student Council President of Naniwa Kinman High School.]**

**[The Crab of the Four Sworn Brothers.]**

"It can' be... Kazzy?!" He yelled, shooting up and running over to me, grabbing my face and pulling me forward. He smiled widely.

"Shiiiit! You grew up, bud!" he whistled. I smiled.

"An' you're still the same ol' Taka that I knew..." I sighed, hugging him tightly. He laughed and went over to the fridge.

"So, how's life treatin' my sworn bro?" He asked.

"Uhm... I changed my name," I remarked.

"Uh? To what?" he asked.

"It's Kazuma Kaguya, not Kiryuin," I clarified.

"Thank Gawd! Seriously, man, Ragyo is one messed-up bitch!" he sighed in relief.

I smirked and sat down across from him. "It's time to get our other brothers together," I announced.

"Y' serious?!" he gasped. I nodded.

"It's time we plan out what's going down soon, my mom's tiny rebellion is on our side, so are the forces of Hannouji Academy that I command. All we need is a signal to get going," I said.

"Ah, well... seems like I'm ridin' to hell with ya," Kaneo sighed. The door opened and there were the other two. Ira and Uzu had different uniforms. They had silver stars and were green, matching Kibonochi's color scheme.

**[Ira Gamagori. Disciplinary Chairman of Hannouji Academy.]**

**[The Toad of the Four Sworn Brothers.]**

**[Uzu Sanageyama. Athletic Chairman of Hannouji Academy.]**

**[The Monkey of the Four Sworn Brothers.]**

They both nodded at us and Kaneo sat down at the head of the table.

"Now, less standin' more sittin'!" he commanded. We made a pact years ago the last time I saw Kaneo. We swore to gather in Osaka, pool our forces and resources together, and wait for Satsuki to signal the Tri-City Schools Raid Trip. Then we'd assist in the takeovers of Kobe and Kyoto, leaving Osaka alone and Takarada on our side. In effect having Nudist Beach with us too.

I just remembered the night we swore the pact...

_It was another one of Ragyo's parties, she was being extra protective over me, holding my hand or wrapping her arm around my shoulders, I remember flinching in pain from when her hands would brush against my back. My scars were new. Takarada was here, watching for an opening. Once he got one, he whisked me away. We were on the roof. By now I became close with Ira and Uzu, they came later._

_"Yo man, What's the matter?" he asked._

_"Kaneo... it's Mother, she..." I sighed, revealing my back._

_Kaneo got stern, even angry, "Shit... "_

_Ira and Uzu joined us, they all saw my scars and had their reactions._

_"That's not right at all..." Uzu sighed._

_"Agreed, there has to be something we can do..." Ira huffed._

_"We can't do shit... Ragyo's got a tight leash on Kazzy... So I got an idea!" he decided._

_"Huh?" I mumbled. Kaneo grabbed my shoulders._

_"We needa swear that we're brothers. Brothers won't give up on each otha and be there," he said. I nodded. Uzu unsheathed his kendo stick and bowed, Ira, did the same, just kneeling._

_Kaneo also knelt. _

_"I, Uzu Sanageyama,"_

_"I, Ira Gamagori,"_

_"I, Kaneo Takarada,"_

_"We all swear to be your brothers, until our dying breaths, our hands will be your sword. Our legs your legs, our minds your mind, our bodies will be your shield and we all swear to be by your side in all coming conflicts,"_

_"I, the Monkey,"_

_"I, the Toad,"  
_

_"I, the Crab,"_

* * *

Night in Osaka was never truly night, but I pulled out my burner, hesitating to call Satsuki. The glow of the city lights illuminated my face. Sitting on the top of Kaneo's building alone. With Uzu and Ira leaving after the impromptu meeting, I decided to stay with Kaneo in Osaka for a while. At least until I figure out if I want to be at Hannouji or take on REVOCS bases.

Still, it felt nice, the warm breeze and the din of the city was better than the odd quiet of Hanno City. There was absolutely NO night-life that was seen from my room in the Academy. It had a nice view of the ocean, but not much else. That's what made me so paranoid. I hated the silence. I hated it more than ever. That's why I liked sleeping with Satsuki, just listening to her soft breathing was enough to calm me down.

That's why I liked Osaka. It was loud, but a good kind of loud that comforted me and told me that I wasn't alone. I was always afraid of that. Ragyo made sure to stay by my side, so when she would leave, I'd bawl my eyes out and beg her not to. Same with Satsuki and everyone else. I hated being alone, being unwanted. Kibonochi looked up at me.

**"We still have a long way to go..."**

"Yeah, it seems like it..." I huffed.

**"You miss Satsuki,"**

"I know... It's just... I wonder if she feels the same way?" I wondered.

Kibonochi and I stared up at the twilight sky, feeling like nothing bad was going to happen, I was safe in Osaka. I had my sword, one of my brothers, and Kibo, what else would I need?

That was an obvious answer. Satsuki. That's what I needed. I needed her. I decided not to bother her though, she'd get a full report from Uzu and Ira. I closed my eyes.

'Goodnight, Satsuki.' I thought.


	8. Episode 8: The Microcosm of Life

With the coming Natural's Election, I decided to return to Hannouji to defend my spot. I was Satsuki's right-hand man, and if Ira takes that away? He's gonna be dead. No one will take my position. No one. Besides, I'd hate to miss out on a great week of training! I was ready and raring to go, Takarada tried to get me to stay.

"Y'sure yer gonna be okay goin' back to Hannouji? I could just give ya a lift back after the Natural's Election Run-Off..." he asked. I blew him off with a good-natured pat on the shoulder, he looked honestly worried about me going back. Takarada was too proud to admit that he was such a worrywart, but he was a penny-pincher, so that was to be expected. I smiled and strode out of Takarada's building.

"See ya, Kaz, you'll always be my... my best friend," he sighed when I left.

* * *

**[Episode 8: The Microcosm of Life.]**

**OP 2: Big Blast Sonic.**

**It starts with Kazuma training during the Natural's Election Run-Off, slashing and parrying through the flood of people trying to fight him, memories of all the things Ragyo did to him start to replace the people, shattering from Kouheisei's white lightning blade. He starts to glow gold, his eye shimmering with tears as Ragyo's aura appears around him, luckily he's got Satsuki and the other elites plus Takarada and his family to help. All of them attack the aura as our main pair falls from space as the final image of the OP.**

* * *

This was it. It was time. Time for me to finally make things official with Kazuma. Junketsu looked up at me.

**"Satsuki, your blood is hotter than usual, are you well? Do you need to lay down?"**

"I'm fine, Junketsu, just... nervous," I admitted.

**"Why? You can take on whole armies, what could make you so nervous?"**

"What if... and listen to me on this one, what if Kazuma found someone better than me?" I asked. Junketsu audibly sighed.

**"Satsuki Kiryuin, when Kazuma looks at you, he always does it with a ton of love behind it. He worships the ground you walk on and loves you dearly, stop worrying..."** Junketsu assured. I still had my doubts, Ira and Uzu seemed extra guarded when talking about what they were doing in Osaka. Kazuma was more secretive now than ever before.

It worried me. I heard the door open and saw Kazuma breeze in, his black and silver hair was tied back and his golden eyes shone happily. I saw his smile widen and his steps quicken, he was practically running at me. He hugged me tightly, sending me back a bit.

"I missed you!" he said, and my legs turned to jelly, that friendly, warm voice... telling me that he missed me? I loved him. I love him so much. I hugged him back, smelling his deodorant mixed with a bit of his sweat. He always smelled kind of sweet. He separated from me, but I wanted to hug him for far longer than I usually did.

**"Remember, Kazuma doesn't like physical interactions for long periods. Poor guy,"**

I internally cursed my mother's actions. It was because of her that he doesn't trust me enough to know I'd never hurt him. I love him, why would I ever hurt him? Yes, I did bruise him, but he knew that it was just sparring. He sat down, his eyes still shining. He was so positively minded now. Maybe his time in Osaka helped him in that regard? He and Takarada always were quite the pair...

Kazuma's grin was wide and infectious. He seemed to be at ease, but I saw how tense his muscles were. He was an animal more than he was a man, the way he looked at me made me shudder and look away, not meeting his eyes. He looked... odd. Normally he would never meet my eyes, or even look up at me. Not with that fire in his eyes other than when we dueled.

"What's up? You nervous?" he asked. I nodded and I felt his hand grasp my own, feeling him squeeze it. I looked up at his widely grinning face, and he was so close, so close to me.

"Don't be, alright? It's just me and you!" He assured brightly, his hands drifted to my shoulders, pulling me into his arms gently, he held me. I accepted it, I had to, he was so alone. Not in the physical sense, but the mental sense. He was stronger than most, able to take abuse without snapping until years later, exploding into fiery life were his golden eyes, finally having me.

He kissed me fiercely. His fire spread to my body, I shuddered in his arms, his eyes closed, and issuing forth from his mouth was a growl. 'Quiet, Dear Satsuki,' it warned. I knew better than to argue. His strong arms cocooned me in his fiery warmth. He pulled away, laying his head on my shoulder, closing his eyes and listening.

"You missed me that badly?" I asked, near-breathless. He grunted an affirmation and rolled down my collar and gently kissed my neck, tracking up my jaw and pecking my lips. He was gentle, tentative. I adjusted to fit in his arms better, he kissed me lightly and I've never felt so much love before. I was always alone growing up. But Kazuma was always there, always trailing after me and keeping my spirits up. Now he was kissing me and I wanted so much more love from him.

That need was my first mistake. He was still here for me and I wanted more than what we were doing. I pushed him back into the couch, burying my limits and wrapping my arms around him tightly, kissing him just as intensely and lovingly. His hands swept through my hair and he pushed back, our bodies were intertwined and we were feeling a hidden passion bubble up.

He didn't object, but he started to breathe much more than just gulps. He started to struggle and I just held on, not understanding what was wrong. He wormed his way out of my arms and gently pushed me away.

"Stop, okay? I-I can't do this..." he stammered weakly, looking like he was destroyed by the kissing and the embrace. He got up and tried to calm down.

"Kazuma, I didn't know," I sighed.

"Yeah, I just... didn't tell anyone because I didn't want to be seen as weaker than I thought I was," he huffed.

"Weaker? Who cares? You've been abused and broken by my mother, and I... fell in love with the Kazuma that grinned and smiled no matter what happened. The older you got, the more I wanted to give you my heart. Ragyo cannot take that away, you survived the years of hell with me and her, and came back stronger," I said. He blushed and lightly settled back down. All lust and fire were gone.

"I'm not that strong... besides, I have a terrible feeling that things are going to hell, Ragyo is playing around with my mind... I keep on hearing voices, or a voice... it's my dad's voice... telling me to return to the manor and free him," he said, looking down at his right hand and clenching it. I saw tears of pain flooding his eyes. Why did Ragyo prey on the kindest people? He started to shake.

"I just... just feel something wriggling inside my body, something that... that she put in me... and it's about to take me over. I just got to finally feel what it's like to be able to love my life..." he mumbled and pushed me roughly back away from him. He bit his sleeve.

**"Satsuki! He's going to stab his eye out! There's a Life Fiber coming up towards his eye, once it gets to his brain, it's game over for all of us!"**

He smiled and unsheathed his tonto, a line of bright red-orange string was streaming towards his eye. I tried to stop him, but he backed away, turning the knife towards his eye.

"Kazuma! Stop! This is drastic!" I warned. He stabbed, and carved out the Fiber, grabbing it and tearing it out of his eye. Blood rained from his wound, but he sighed gently, grinning brightly and hugging me. He was staining Junketsu a little red, I pushed him off a bit.

"Can ya help me with my eye?" He asked.

"Of course! What the hell were you thinking?!" I snapped. He just lackadaisically cleaned his knife and face, he left a bad gash through his eyebrow and cheek. His eye was just destroyed, and he treated it like it was not a matter of concern. Pain tolerance was oddly high for him. I calmly and steadily sewed up his gash, putting on an eyepatch over it. He smirked, leaned up, and kissed me.

"I knew you could do it! Man, it barely hurts!" He praised happily, I sighed. Luckily for him, his Gray Fibers kicked in, his gash scarred over and was a little red. He didn't pick at it. He just sheathed his tonto and left. Almost with no words between us. The next day, we assembled high above the masses of the academy, with Uzu, Ira, and Kazuma standing next to me, Inumuta, and Nonon. Kazuma stood tall, his sword resting on his shoulders, gazing with his single eye. He was smiling, grinning widely.

Kibonochi was billowing behind him, his strong looks giving him an intimidating visage, and with the eyepatch covering up the jagged corona of his scar aside from the two edges of the gash that he carved the Fiber out with, he looked like he was a warrior ready to slaughter his opponents. That gave me more pleasure than I thought it would. That visceral appeal was a powerful thing.

**"Satsuki, do you know what this proves?"**

I didn't understand what he meant. He wasn't a cryptic Kamui by any means, but the Natural's Election Run-Off is about to start, Kazuma seemed quite joyful today.

**"This means that Kazuma is willing to destroy himself to see his dreams through."**

I nodded and observed his body language. Shoulders squared, free hand clenched into a fist, single molten gold eye narrowed. Eyebrows down and mouth stretched into a wide, toothy grin.

He was ready for the coming week of endless combat and slaughter. He glanced at me and he strode over. He looked like he was going to just stand next to me, but he yanked me down to his face and he kissed me. In full view of the elites and the student body. I pulled back, my cheeks flared up into a bright red wildfire. He smiled and glanced over at the elites.

Ira was smirking, Uzu made a kissy-face, Nonon looked like she was going to explode, and Inumuta was rapidly tapping on his keyboard, paying no mind. Of course, he was fired up. Inumuta was going to scan Kazuma's combat data, who knows what kind of power he packs now? Kazuma left Hannouji and became a completely different person.

Self-assured, still paranoid, but also strong, stronger than ever. He was also reluctant. He seemed much more nervous than usual. Maybe because he didn't want to leave me. His eye closed and I grabbed his hand. He let out a single breath as if deciding that he'll go through with his 'training'. I was going to seal myself inside a Life Fiber barrier for a week, and the other Elites would most likely not participate. All except for Kazuma.

* * *

I remembered my vow, my promise. I want to get stronger so Satsuki won't have to lift a finger. I want to protect and care for her. I'll be the love for both of us. Even if she turns out to not love me, I'll always love her. I'll always be there, even if she doesn't need me. She could even kill me if she wanted to. I'd be happy to die for her. I'd still be her sword.

I'm going to face my destiny, with open arms and a brave heart. I gripped Kouheisei tightly, my eye closing.

**"Kid, this is gonna be one hell of a week... you ready?" **

"Yeah, I was born ready," I agreed. I gazed up at the bulging red and black shield, waiting for it to fully close. Once it did, I unsheathed my blade. The assembled students all turned to me, weapons ready.

"C'mon then!" I challenged, and they all charged.

* * *

**REVOCS Main Office, Inner Vestibule.**

So it begins... my initial plan to control my dear Kazuma has gone to the dogs. If only I'd had been more... persuasive. Now he's free, a koi without restraint. But the Life Fiber gained such information before dying... He loves Satsuki. More than anything, more than his own life. He was so obedient before... Goro was awake again, and I was here to comfort him.

He was strung up, his golden eyes blinded, and his dark green hair swept down his back. He looked up at me vaguely, and I grinned. He was alive, but not, dead, but breathing. He was the microcosm of life and death. The in-between. His breath was raspy.

"My... son... my son... you... bitch..." he croaked. His lower half was regenerating and destroying itself painfully. I told him of how I'd take Kazuma to bed with me, and he was furious. Of course, he would. Kazuma was a good little boy. Compliant, sweet, and so very innocent.

"Shh, don't struggle, sweet Goro. Your son will join me soon enough..." I crooned.

"No... he's... stronger... he's... stronger than... you..." he snarled, I saw tears running down his cheeks. He was crying. I started to laugh.

"Now then, what's on your mind, Shinra Koketsu?" I asked.

"I want... you to burn! I want... you to pay! I... I WANT... THIS WORLD... THIS WORLD TO BURN! I WANT ALL OF THIS TO END! I. WANT. TO. DIE!" he thundered, reaching out a rotting, still-living hand. I grabbed it, holding it tightly. I loved Goro, and I loved Kazuma...

"I want... I want..." he sighed. I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him close. The Life Fibers around him sighed and stretched, wrapping around me as well. He started to sob.

"Why do I... love you?"

"It's simple, Goro... you never loved Flavia..." I reasoned, remembering the only reasons why we married Soichiro and Flavia was for their money. I remembered that first test on Satsuki, how badly it went. I only kept her to appease the fool I married. I only kept Flavia around to keep Goro in my company. REVOCS was his, but I took it over. I fell so deeply in love with the man who gave me REVOCS.

If only I'd been Kazuma's mother, maybe he'd listen to me... that inexorable bond between mother and son, mother and child... I tried to replace Flavia, and it worked for a time, only to backfire. Shinra shifted in my arms.

"Ragyo..." he sighed.

"My sweet Shinra... sleep for me, please..." I whispered.

"No... not when... NOT WHEN YOU'RE HERE!" he yelled. That infernal yelling would have to cease. I still held the decaying, living body of my first lover. He was the microcosm of the disgusting process of life. He settled down, his hand falling limply against my back. A resigned sigh escaping his mouth. I grinned widely, feeling him slip into the cocoon I prepared for him. Finally, he accepted his fate.

Goro would make a fine weapon.

* * *

A jolt of pain coursed through my head, feeling something lodged into my brain. I was slashing through a crowd of One-Stars when a jolt shook my frame. I fell to one knee, stabbing Kouheisei into the ground. My opponents dogpiled me, and I felt a surge of power. My Gray Fibers exploded out of my body in a blazing pain. Impaling all the Life Fibers and hyper charging me.

I let out a loud howl, letting everyone know that they weren't safe. My gray fibers wheeled around me in the air mostly concentrated on my right arm. Kouheisei became so much stronger than usual. I wasn't even synced up with Kibonochi. This sudden surge of power only meant one thing. I was rising. I was gaining the power to crush Ragyo and all she was.

All I felt... was anger. All I felt was rage, rage at being caged and treated like an animal. A rage that wasn't mine! I slashed through a crowd after crowd of fighting students, my gray fibers snatching more and more of their alive brethren. My pain was growing worse and worse, and my rage was boiling. My gray fibers returned to my body.

"What the hell was that?" I mumbled. I was stumbling, tired. It was only the first day of fighting... I can't get a handle on these things... it just burst. Kibonochi warmed up, blessing me with some heat.

**"Kiddo, it's alright, I think it had something to do with... an awakening of sorts."**

"An awakening?" I asked.

**"Yeah, those strands weren't there before. Also, you... kinda went crazy."**

"Oh yeah? Tell me somethin' I DON'T already know," I scoffed.

**"You're barely able to keep moving now, and that's horrible. You gotta get that in check."**

"Look, I just found out that I can shoot out Gray Fibers from my body like fuckin' SPEARS. NO amount of affirmative action can help with that..." I snarled.

*Plip... plip... plip...* "And now I'm bleeding... damn, it seems like Satsuki was right about one thing: gaining power HURTS!" I cursed. My hair was getting into my eye.

"An' another thing! I HATE HAVING MY DAMN HAIR IN MY EYE!" I thundered. This training SUCKED. Everything SUCKED. All I wanted to do was train, not lose my mind in some week-long war. My hatred was boiling. Everything was heating up. I closed my eye and took a deep breath. The twilight was fading into night, and I missed Satsuki. I looked over at the Life Fiber cocoon she holed up in. I wanted her. I needed her.

I remember the promise I made to her. We'd go back to the beach and be kids again. Running in the surf, forgetting that we're practically adults, and having each other. Holding each other at night, never letting go. Never. Ragyo would have to destroy the planet to stop me. She would have to tear me apart. I'd rather go down fighting rather than out with a whimper.

I laid down among the ruins of what was the commissariat, a bunch of Sumo Club members trashed what Satsuki poured hours and hours, weeks and weeks into the building. While I was being coddled by Ragyo, drugged to keep quiet. Be the good son and Satsuki won't cry anymore. That's what I wanted. I was Satsuki's only friend back then.

Her love was better than Ragyo's. She respected space and boundaries, always was there if you needed her, and... when she lets her walls down... there's a beautiful woman there. A kind, gentle soul. Hardened and tempered by a woman who never loved her, who never gave her the time of day. I remember one time when Satsuki hated me.

It was back when I was six. I was a bit of a brat back then... okay, a brat can barely even cover what the hell I was. I got what I wanted, I got everything I asked for, and never worked for anything in my life thus far. Satsuki had taken one of my game systems, and I raged all over creation trying to find it. I ended up in tears and clinging on to Ragyo, burying my face into her chest, hearing her heartbeat always calmed me down back then.

Of course, Ragyo ripped into Satsuki, and the light died in her eyes. I realized that when Satsuki gave it back, that she wanted it. So I gave it to her that night... I remember saying.

"Don't cry! I already got so many things, and I dunno what to do with them sometimes... but I want you to have this!"

That... that precious smile. That shine in her blue eyes. That... that... beautiful woman. That was what I was fighting for. I never wanted to enact some revenge like Mom, or just march along to orders like Nui, I just wanted to make Satsuki smile again. I want to give her the life she wants. A happy one, complete with a family that loves her and values her.

I knew she already had the elites, and they'd protect and save her. I was just a boy caught up in a storm of lies. I didn't know if I wanted to fight back, I didn't know if my mother was right. I just want Satsuki! She's the only constant! The only person who can cut me down and I'd accept it. I'd just hug her, bleeding in her arms, shushing her and telling her that it was the only way.

Then I'd see Dad again.

If it was the other way around, I'd hold her, kiss her, tell her that I'd never stop loving her. She'd probably call me a fool. I hold her until she'd pass on. I'd cry, howling and screaming that it wasn't right, that I'd be the one to die so that she could finally have the life she's wanted. Kibonochi warmed up.

**"Kid, your blood is warm... you must be thinking about Satsuki, right?"**

"Yeah, I wonder what she's thinking right now?" I wondered, staring up at the stars, I wanted to see them outside of here one day. With my family by my side. I decided that one day was enough for me.

"I'M COMING HOME, SATSY-CHAN!" I screamed, dashing.

* * *

The bed was colder than usual. Everything was so quiet. Kazuma's smile was lost to me. Not a true one. He'd always smile, that damn fool. That insufferable fool. That... handsome, sweet fool! Why am I crying into my pillow for him? Why do I let my walls down around him? What if he's just lying through his teeth?

I love him, but which one of him is the real one? The one who smiles, or the one who slaughters and kills? The one who never gives up, or the one who already lost it all? Which Kazuma is the real Kazuma that I fell for? The fool or the dragon? There are too many questions! It hurts more than anything else! I want... I want to...

**"Satsuki, don't doubt Kazuma."**

"What?" I asked.

**"He's both the fool and the dragon, he's the microcosm of life. Its hardships and challenges, its bloody lows and joyful highs. He smiles to reassure you that he's still fighting, and he'll be the same."**

Junketsu was always trying to get us to do romantic things together, and I listened to him. He was rather eloquent for a piece of clothing. My clothing is my matchmaker, heh, give me a break. I'm still worried about Kazuma though, he's strong, misguided, but strong. That's when my room SHOOK. Then, through the wall.

"FUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKK!" Kazuma screamed, crashing through my wall with Kibonochi looking extremely ragged. He stood up, dusting himself off.

"Hey," he greeted.

"What happened?" I wondered.

"Oh, y' know, stuff!" he dismissed.

"Stuff?" I asked. Raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah!" he confirmed. He was shifting, bits of plaster and drywall falling out of his hair.

"Kazuma, you missed me didn't you?" I guessed. He deflated, wilting and looking down at his feet.

"Sorry..." he mumbled. I chuckled and picked the bigger bits of plaster and drywall out of his hair. I smoothed his wild hair and looked down at poor Kibonochi, he was torn up, ragged, and fraying. Kazuma was a mess. He looked like he hadn't showered in a week, which was true. If only this wasn't the first day. I noticed small gray strings wind and twist around him.

They repaired Kibonochi and Kazuma took him off, hanging him up next to Junketsu. Looking at his back tattoo and the scars underneath made me flinch. Of course, he'd jolt and shudder whenever someone touched them. Except for me. I reached out and gently touched the middle of them. He leaned back, resting against my chest, smelling of sweat and blood.

"I missed you so much..." he sighed, I smirked and kissed his cheek, feeling the stubble growing there. He was growing right before my eyes, going from a little boy covered head to toe in ash to a man covered in sweat and plaster who chucked himself through my wall to be with me. He stood back up and went to the bathroom, shutting the door behind him, I heard the shower going and I laid back down, finding the odd gray strands repairing the wall.

I didn't know why I was blushing. I didn't know why seeing Kazuma's bare chest was so tantalizing. Considering that his Kamui's synced form was of a roman centurion if he barely wore armor and was a samurai. I heard the door open and heard him humming. He... was shirtless! His eyepatch was off, showing off the scar he inflicted on himself for me.

"Oho, so even Miss Satsuki Kiryuin is weak to a man's chest?" he asked, my mouth went dry. Did he do this on purpose?! He started to pose, his toned muscles making my head spin.

"Oh come on, Satsuki! You know you want me!" he laughed. I couldn't argue with that. Not at all. He tackled me, his eye shining with good humor, he had a pillow in his hands and he was hitting me with it.

"Pillow fight! Pillow fight!" he chorused. I laughed and pulled him into my arms, smothering him with a hug. He struggled a bit but soon settled down.

"Eh, forget it... you make a good pillow, Satsuki, way better... hahhh... than your mom... huhhh... does," he yawned.

"Nighty-night... Satsuki..." he mewed.

"Goodnight Kazuma, I love you," I found myself saying.

"Heh... you admit it... Satsy..." he mumbled.

He finally fell asleep and I started to pet his now-soft, damp hair.

Sleep well, sweet dragon.


	9. Episode 9: Clip My Fins and Watch Me RIS

It all went slow. Seeing my son, my precious son, my heir... covered in my blood? I hated myself, I hated Ragyo and most of all... I hated life. I hated it for dealing me a bad hand. That's why I wanted to see the world burn. If my son can't become a dragon fast enough... then this world is doomed, all of it! I became Shinra Koketsu to restart the world. To remake it...

To be the father I always wanted to be. Flavia... my darling Flavia... Our son is a much better man than me. I fully admit it. I'm being sewn into this... weapon. I'll lead the world to its glorious reset... If I have the power to make it so.

* * *

**[Episode 9: Clip My Fins and Watch Me RISE.]**

**OP 2: Big Blast Sonic.**

**It starts with Kazuma training during the Natural's Election Run-Off, slashing and parrying through the flood of people trying to fight him, memories of all the things Ragyo did to him start to replace the people, shattering from Kouheisei's white lightning blade. He starts to glow gold, his eye shimmering with tears as Ragyo's aura appears around him, luckily he's got Satsuki and the other elites plus Takarada and his family to help. All of them attack the aura as our main pair falls from space as the final image of the OP.**

* * *

Waking up next to Satsuki was always nice, but something made me stop myself from moving. That would be Satsuki, clinging to me like a life preserver. She nuzzled my chest. She looked so cute all snug and bedraggled... Not that it mattered. Her long black hair was frizzled and matted a bit from her fitful sleep, even when I'd hold her she'd either end up upside down or drooling on our pillows. I shifted a little, making her stir and open one hazy azure eye.

"Don't... move... Kazuma..." she sighed.

"I'm gonna have to, Satsuki," I warned.

"Nooo..." she whined, holding me tighter.

"I just got you back..." she sighed. She buried her face into my chest, normally she wouldn't be this cuddly unless she wanted me to do something. I knew what I needed to do. I knew that I wasn't gonna grow if I stayed cooped up in my lovely Satsuki's arms. I knew that I would lose my mind if I fought with Ryuko again, so what now?

There was nothing I could do to grow more. I was already at the top of my game, I mean, without the odd Gray Fibers. So there was only one thing I could do. I wanted to stop this before it could begin. If I stop the source of the Life Fibers, I'd stop Ragyo's plans. So I got up, looking down at my sleeping love and kissing her. I saw her lips stretch into a blissful smile.

I wanted to end this all, I wanted to stop this. Well, no time like the present...

* * *

I walked along the road to the manor, not believing that I was back. The same impersonal monolith thrust out of the evening darkness. I ran towards it, Kibonochi billowing behind me, a long green tassel in the dash. I saw the lights twinkling in the windows, I needed to infil from the back, then go down to the room where the P.L.F. is.

All I needed to do was stop Ragyo and the yarn thing. I snuck up to the back door, it was just a solid white raised portion of the manor. I edged in, keeping Kouheisei in my hands, at the ready. I had no plan B. I had no way out. All I had was a chance to live. One last dance with death before I move on. If I can beat Ragyo, then Satsuki wouldn't have to sacrifice herself.

I wanted to die. I wanted to go out with a bang, giving Satsuki the chance to live. Giving her the life she wants. I crept my way out of the kitchen, going into the servant's passage, unjamming a vent from the grate and crawling in. I crawled in the vent, remembering that Ragyo's hair still glowed regardless of if she was awake or not.

Considering that I was attacking at midnight, that was a perfect time. I didn't notice the Fiber snaking through the vent behind me.

**"KID! Behind you!" **

I whirled, feeling it wind around my leg and yank me through the vent, I unsheathed my blade, catching Ragyo off guard. The strand that caught me turned gray and returned into my leg, I caught Ragyo on her arm. She smirked.

"Nice eyepatch," she observed. I landed back on the floor with her hand being cut off along with me reclaiming Kouheisei. She picked it back up, reattaching it.

_**[Ragyo Kiryuin]**_

_**[REVOCS CEO, Murderer, Rapist, and Manipulator **_**_Extraordinaire.]_**

We stood across from one another, my sword ready, my Kamui syncing and my single eye burning in the socket. My eyepatch became an armored patch on my face, Ragyo wore what she normally did, her fists raised in her usual stance. We circled each other, my heart pounding angrily, my mouth stuck in a sharp scowl. We were tense, and I wasn't frozen, rather, I was assured. I was as strong as I could be. I could see my future, I could see hope. I could feel the warmth of the sun on my face again. I needed to face her. I needed to even the score.

I dashed into her, my sword descended into her chest, I stabbed through her hand and pivoted to lob her down to the floor I gave her no chance to rest, forcefully and brutally I slashed her, we were going through rooms and corridors. I was fighting hard, Kibonochi was one with my heart and soul. He wanted to free me and help me end up with Satsuki's love. It turned out that both of our Kamuis loved to try to get us together. But that wasn't the point right now. Right now I had to stay ALIVE.

We both went deeper down, she was still on the defensive. My sword was its limb by now, speeding at her with intense force, sparks were flying off my sword.

"Why don't you die already?!" I snarled.

"Face it, darling, you don't want to kill me," she chided.

"Oh yeah? Pretty sure I've been kickin' your ass for the past fi- What in the hell is THAT?!" I gasped, seeing a large, bulbous thing on the other side of the door, she took that moment to counter, clocking me on the jaw and sending me flying into the room. I crashed into the spikes jutting out of the bulb.

"GAH!" I yelled, feeling blood shoot out of my mouth. Ragyo strode up to me, taking Kouheisei up from the floor, admiring it.

"You don't need this anymore, my sweet Kazuma..." she sighed.

"Let... it... go!" I snarled, struggling.

"Shh... shhh... lie back, and think of the bliss you'll soon feel..." she crooned, cupping my cheek with her hand. I tried to pull away, but the Life Fibers held fast. She leaned forward, capturing my lips into hers, everything shattered and I felt tears sting my eyes. She didn't earn this, she didn't comfort me, all she did was force me to comply. What made it worse was that I was regressing into being the adorable little boy she knew that would kiss and never tell.

**"Kid... we had a good run, eh?"**

"Ki...bo..." I mewed, trying to pull myself free, my body's energy was fading. I saw Ragyo snap Kouheisei like a twig and drop the two pieces like trash, turning and smiling at my prone body. I could barely muster the strength to raise my head. That kiss made me dizzy and the Life Fibers made me weak.

**"I'll save you, that's my job... my purpose..."**

"Ki..." I whispered. Ragyo seemed to enjoy watching me die, watching me try to struggle. She then motioned with her hand and the Life Fibers stabbed into me. I noticed that her cheeks were bleeding, not even being repaired by the Life Fibers... so they do have a limit to what they can regenerate...

"GAHHHH!" I screeched, feeling them start to drill into me.

"Kazuma, do you think I'd let you go? You know too much, my sweet... you were too nosy for your good... or should I say Satsuki's?" she taunted.

"N... No... You can't... don't!" I growled.

Ragyo chuckled, "It's adorable how you think you'll ever be normal..." I snarled, my anger spiking. Of course, I won't. I can't even take a bath or shower without someone on the other side of the door protecting me. I can't even get intimate with the woman I love because of you, it makes me sick. I want to love on Satsuki, but I could barely even kiss her without thinking about you.

"Of course, you have to admit that you're quite brave to fight me..." she giggled, twisting the Life Fibers deeper. I felt something leave my body, and it was Kibonochi! He tore off my body, certain pieces in my hands. I dropped to the floor, my strength returned.

**"Run! Get going! Find Kibonochi Ryu!"**

He didn't have to tell me twice, I hauled ass through the house again, my legs pumping and I didn't realize that I was going towards the northern side of the house, which faced the ocean. I jumped through the window, clenching the remains of Kibonochi and the broken Kouheisei. I fell into the greenish-blue waves, my stinging wounds feeling the salt.

I descended deeper and deeper, feeling nothing. The water around me dyed crimson. Everything was dark, everything was cold. I wanted to live, I wanted to live and Ragyo killed me. I fell and now I've had it. I wanted to rise! I wanted to become a dragon! I shut my stinging eye, my lungs burned. I didn't want to die. I had someone that wanted me to come back to her!

I kicked and thrashed to the surface, fighting for air. Fighting on, always fighting. "PAH! Kah! Kaf!" I coughed, surfacing in the golden waves of the ocean, feeling my cuts and wounds stinging. I was alive, I was still here. I was still Kazuma! I felt... stronger.

More assured, more assured that I could get stronger, I wondered how much stronger Kibonochi would get with the Ryu upgrade. I swam soundly, strongly. My gray fibers spread out, making a skimmer for me. I blasted across the water, off towards Shiroi Haibara's port. With any luck, Ira, Uzu, and Takarada were there. I told them if I were to fight Ragyo early, to drop their stuff and come to Shiroi Haibara to plan our next move.

* * *

Lord Kazuma loped into the base, his body wet with saltwater, carrying the sheath of Kouheisei with the blade inside. Scraps of Kibonochi clung to his body, sopping up the blood and salt. He staggered towards us.

"Men," he acknowledged.

"Sir!" we chorused.

Being Kazuma's Sworn Brother, it was my duty to see his task through to the very bitter end. I was assigned to his detail when he joined Hannouji Academy and he quickly became Lady Satsuki's lover and right-hand-man. He looked tired, haggard and beat up. His gait was stilted and stiff. Far from the brave warlord all three of us had come to know.

Kaneo stood and walked over to him, tentatively testing his touch tolerance with a poke, with Lord Kazuma's nod, he was given clearance.

"What happened, brotha?" Kaneo asked, looping his arm around Kazuma's shoulders.

"I tried to end this before it began... Ragyo is nigh unstoppable..." he breathed. Kazuma's goldeneye was washed-out, his gray fibers repairing his wounds. Lady Flavia raged forward, her blue eyes full of anger. She grabbed Kazuma forcefully and dashed past us. I still kept an eye on them... I didn't want Lord Kazuma to run off again, that scared pretty much everyone.

* * *

"What were you thinking?! You could've gotten killed!" Mom yelled in my face.

"Oh yeah? I didn't notice you doing anything about this! If you were proactive, this could all be over! But no, you have to put innocent lives at risk! You have to put me on the back-burner! You have to use Nui! You have to manipulate everyone!" I ranted.

"You could never understand my sacrifices..." Mom snarled.

"YOUR sacrifices?! Your sacrifices?! Oh, cry me a river! Kazuma Kaguya died! He's been dead! Now he's back and pissed off! I've had it up to here with your bullshit! I was RAPED! Tortured, beaten, put on a pedestal then torn off! You didn't do SHIT! My brothers and I are the only ones keeping your little crew alive! I lost the ability to look in the mirror without seeing her..." I sighed.

I walked away, "Hey, uhm... where's Uzu?" I asked Ira.

"Well, he's been taken by Nui," Kaneo piped up.

"GAHHHHHHHHHHH!" Uzu yelled.

"Aw! I wanna braid your hair!" Nui yelled, chasing after him.

"Kazuma!" he pleaded.

"Nope! Once Nui likes you, she'll practically be attached to you," I reasoned, Uzu was being chased by Nui with her hair down.

"Awwww! I'll letcha brai- KAZZY!" Nui screamed, full-speed tackling me. I fell and hugged her tightly. She squeezed me just as tightly as I did.

"Yay! You're home! We can braid your hair!" She decided.

"Huh? Nah, a ponytail is fine with me," I scoffed. Nui crossed her arms and pouted.

"But I wanna! Uzu won't let me and Kan-Chan and Ira's hair is too short! Kazzy, pleaaassseee?" She begged, giving me the puppy eyes treatment. I sighed and relented. Nui brushed all the salt and sand out of my hair and washed it too. I wasn't expecting this. She was humming cheerfully.

"Nui, what're you doing?" I asked.

"Cutting your hair! It's gonna get in the way, and you deserve to treat yourself sometimes," she reasoned, she cut my long silver and black hair that I grew alongside Satsuki growing hers. I saw it grow shorter and shorter in the mirror, seeing my sister so intensely concentrated. I ended up with shorter hair with the sides shorn down to a buzzed cut with the top being longer.

I gingerly touched it, "It's..." I breathed.

"Cool, huh?" she asked.

I stood, whirling around and hugging her, crying. It was perfect, more than perfect. She squeezed me tightly, crying herself. She never got to know me when she was little, all she had were stories. Now that I was here with her, I understood why she cut my hair. It wasn't just out of concern of it being in the way, but a bonding moment between us.

I smirked and did my part, I always fooled around with Satsuki's hair, so I figured out certain ways to tease it into different ponytails and braids, pigtails too. I pulled it into her signature drilled pigtails, keeping the bangs out of her eyes by a hairband. I noticed Uzu recording this, with me behind my sister and her legs swinging gently back and forth because of her height without her heels.

"I hope you're getting my good side, Uzu!" she chirped.

"Eh... I guess both of them are good, right Kaz?" he asked.

"If you wanna date my sis you're gonna have to beat me in a kendo match, and the last time we contended I won... so..." I winked, "No dice," I said.

"Well... I think it should be up to me!" Nui chirped.

"Okay... so who DO you like?" I asked.

"I like Uzu! An' Kan-Chan! They're super fun to play with!" she said with massive amounts of pep. Uzu looked down at his banged-up arms, and I could swear I could see Kaneo flinch.

"Nui, you don't hurt them, do you?" I asked.

"Is that bad?" she whimpered, looking hurt.

"Yeah, Uzu and Kaneo are like my brothers, so if you hurt 'em, it'll make me sad. Do ya wanna make me sad?" I wondered.

"No! I don' wanna!" she snapped.

"Then don't hurt 'em too badly, okay?" I assured. I realized how much of a child my sister was. Mostly staying positive and childish. Her wide blue eyes were always inquisitive and curious. Her arms akimbo, always grasping at something, always questing for something new. I used to be the same way. Until Ragyo ruined me. I vowed silently to never let that happen to my Nui.

Nui was innocently looking up at me, wondering why I was so dour and stoic. I looked away, "Thanks for the haircut, Nui,"

I wandered away. Just like I always did. I was a dragon now, but... I didn't know what that entailed for me. The stories never said what happened after it all. I guess it's up to me to find out for myself. The pieces of Kibonochi still wrapped around me pulsed. They started to peel off me and fly to some sorta framework in a brown wardrobe, attaching themselves to it and shedding the water and salt from itself.

The clothing rustled and two red-orange eye flaps snapped open.

_**Kazuma, you have been deemed worthy of wearing me.**_

"Cut the jibber-jabber, Kibo, we got work to do!" I snapped.

_**Sheesh, fine! Jeez, can'tcha just have fun an' live a little?**_

"No, we're at war with an omnicidal maniac, seriously... any 'fun' will and should have to wait," I scoffed, grabbing him and feeling him shift to my size. He was warm, looking up at me with both eye flaps shining in the light. He was a darker green, his accents were a gunmetal black color, all muted and not bright like his previous version.

To be honest, he seemed a lot more... mature? As if he grew up alongside me.

_**I like your haircut, I guess Nui worked her magic?**_

I nodded, knowing that Satsuki would give me hell for trying to fight Ragyo, but the whole time I knew the bitch treated it like a game. She never pursued me because I was too valuable to stop. She still had a sick perversion of love for me. Mom looked at me with a glare, I challenged her and won. I could understand why she was so angry at me, but I still knew how to play a game I've got skin in.

Kaneo, Uzu, and Ira showed up in their own dark green uniforms, all three of them were made with fifty percent Gray Fibers and sewn by Iori. Nui wore a green kimono with a pair of getas bringing her up to about chest level with me. Like her clone, she couldn't wear Goku Uniforms or a Kamui. Kaneo's uniform was like an even more garish parody of the Once-ler's suit from one of Nui's favorite stories, The Lorax.

Uzu looked like he jumped right out of the samurai era like my sister, just with the armor on, he wore a green band with white panels over his eyes. Ira was a mountain of steel, looking like Ultron or something, he was always ready. Always an impenetrable wall of defense.

"Alright, y'all! Less talkin' more marchin'! We gotta get to Osaka so we can prep fer the Tri-City Schools Raid Trip!" Kaneo barked. Since we were going to assist Nudist Beach with staying operational during the fight, two of my men would have to betray Satsuki. I was always a maverick, always being five or so steps ahead of the game. Ira would go after Kobe, and Uzu Kyoto. Nui would keep an eye on REVOCS movements and slow them down if they got too punchy.

Kaneo and I would fight Satsuki and her forces, giving Nudist Beach enough time to haul ass and get to Shiroi, where they would merge with my mother's forces becoming Nudist Barbershoppe. Barber was waiting for us, mostly Nui.

"You're leaving us, Nui?" he asked.

"Barbie, I wanna help my big bro! Just keep Mommy safe, okay?" she asked.

"Can do, Miss Nui," he sighed, bowing his head, his oddly purple curls, and dark skin told me exactly who he was related to. Barber was Rei Hoomaru's brother, long lost and fully committed to my sister's well-being and happiness.

"Mister Uzu, Master Kazuma," he stated. We both stopped, turning and smirking. His dark eyes shone with unshed tears, he cared a lot about my sister. He mustered the courage to say.

"Keep her safe, both of you," he sighed.

We nodded, and he walked off at a quick clip. The morning came without sleep for any of us we knew that it was now or never. My sworn brothers and little sister would have to follow me into hell and back again... I was prepared for anything now, but Ira stopped me.

"Lord Kazuma, I've taken the liberty of reforging Kouheisei into Koudari and Koudashi," he informed, showing me two equally sized swords, both white-bladed and perfectly balanced. I sheathed them, feeling the familiar hilts put my mind at ease. I never wanted to face Satsuki as an enemy. It was going to be just like sparring. Yeah, I don't really have to hurt her...

I didn't want to hurt Satsuki, I wanted her to understand that all I wanted to do was give her the future she was fighting so hard for. Now, I needed to grow even more, I couldn't understand Kibonochi Ryu yet. How much stronger was he from his Koi iteration? I needed to know. We all piled into Ira's car to drive to Osaka, so it was a road trip!

_**Kazuma, don't worry, Satsuki will understand. I know she will once you explain what you did and why you fucking did it! I'm disappointed in you! So newsflash, I'm gonna slap ya!**_

Kibonochi lifted my arm and smacked me.

"Ow!" I snapped.

_**That's for running off and almost getting killed by Ragyo and that gourd-lookin' thing! Also...**_

"Ow!" I chorused.

_**That's for throwing your life away! You gotta know how much Satsuki loves you! If you say confronting Ragyo is all for her again, I'mma just toss you at her, say 'have fun' and get worn by your sister! I've had it up to here with your self-sacrificing hero bullshit! Grow up!**_

Kibonochi continued to rant and harp, and the others uncomfortably looked over at me in sympathy.

_**If you wanna be a dragon, you gotta keep rising! You gotta keep flying, so don't settle! That fight with Ragyo was a learning experience, what have you learned?**_

"To always have back-up," I said.

_**Yeah, what else?**_

"Never keep up an attack if you know the opponent has an asspull?" I offered.

_**Yep! What else?**_

"Always know your enemy's tactics!" I declared.

_**Exactly! Now, we need to come up with a flashy team pose...**_

"Why?" I wondered.

_**Nui.**_

"Figures," I scoffed, seeing my sister talking animatedly with Kaneo and Ira about flashy poses.

"Lady Kaguya, I'm sure we don't need one..." Ira chided, smiling.

"Aw... let 'er have fun! So, Little Ni, what's the dealy-o?" Kaneo asked, tipping his sunglasses down.

"Well... Kazzy is the leader, so he'll do some sorta pose with his swords all cool-like, and Ira, you're in back, spreading your arms wide, all awesome-like... Kan-Chan will do the whole gourd rocket thingie... Uzu and I will pose on either side of Kazzy, and then we'll all yell: WE'RE THE ONES SENT FROM HELL TO KICK YOUR BUTT!" she yelled, giggling.

"Make it ass and yer onto somethin', Lil' Ni," Kaneo commented.

"Actually, I like Nui's idea," Uzu commented.

"Really?! Yay!" she gasped, hugging Uzu tightly. He looked at Kaneo like, 'suffer'. We noticed other trucks on the highways. All of them had the Hannouji logo on them.

"They're moving," Ira growled.

"Step on it, Toad!" Kaneo snapped.

"Shut the hell up, Crab! My car, my rules!" He snapped back.

"So, Kaz, what's our orders?" Uzu asked.

"We get there, evacuate all civilians, and hit 'em with all we got! I don't expect Satsuki to hold back and neither will we!" I commanded. The next few days would be full of chaos... but at least I'll have my men and my sister by my side.

* * *

**[Next Time: Episode 10: Dancing Dragons!]**


	10. Episode 10: Dancing Dragons

The day dawned with a golden sky, a blue screen of sky dyed the air with ruin. I missed having Satsuki by my side. Today was a day neither one of us would forget. It was going to be war. Not a battle. I knew she'd never hold back once she started. Satsuki and I were both relentless, both dragons now. I saw her break away from the lines of trucks.

'Showtime.' I thought.

* * *

**[Episode 10: Dancing Dragons.] **

**OP 3: Sky Should Be High from Guilty Gear Xrd REVELATOR.**

**It starts with Kazuma in odd gear, with Koudari and Koudashi at his hips, walking alone in the wastelands between Hannouji and everywhere else. He's on his own, both swords gleaming. At the softer bits of the song, he's wandering from place to place, Kibonochi, ragged and torn, fluttering in the wind. At the end of it all, the sun makes the screen go white...**

* * *

Osaka was an eyesore. Takarada would pay dearly for what he did to Kazuma... to Ira and Uzu. As long as I knew the three of them, they were loyal. It had to be Takarada. Or maybe Kazuma was insane. Ever since he lost his eye, his nightmares had gotten worse, his grip on me was tighter than ever. He was suffocating me. Yet, I still loved him. It was my duty to bring Kazuma back to my side. He was mine. I won him fair and square from Mother. I hated her. I hated how she ruined him.

He was an innocent little thing, blameless. Yet she took him and killed that part of him. She tore him apart and slipshod sewed him back together. He was still broken, but now? He was so different. The sky was already filling with smoke, I saw him kneeling on a raised platform, and he jumped off, landing with his coat billowing about him.

He was taller, his single golden eye shining. His hair was shorter, the top still long and spiked. His Kamui was green with black metallic accents with two red-orange eye flaps glaring at me. His tattoo was still the same, yet, the two blades at his sides made my breath catch in my throat. Junketsu looked up at me.

**"He's stronger! Just look at that death glare!"**

I stepped forwards, and he unsheathed both of his blades, pointing the longer one out towards me. His golden eye became cold.

"Not one step more, Satsuki!" he warned.

"Kazuma, why would you interfere with my plans?" I asked.

"No more talk!" he demanded.

**[Kazuma Kaguya.]**

**[The Captain of the Four Sworn Brothers, the Dragon.]**

**[The love of your life, Satsuki.]**

Yet again, Junketsu was right. Kazuma was the love of my life. The way he held his swords with tightly clenched fists, white-knuckling and shaking. I unsheathed Bakuzan. In the interim of Kazuma, Ira, and Uzu vanishing not long before the Natural's Election, Nui Harime showed up under no orders. Well, only under one order: her own.

I never wanted to see her again. In a blinding flash of light, there stood Kazuma, sparking from the sheer strength of Kibonochi Ryu. He looked like a half-naked cybernetic samurai. His face was obscured by a metallic mask that glowed slightly golden. He vanished, forcing me to sync with Junketsu to even just barely block his first strike.

"Like it? It's Kibonochi Jetstream!" he snapped. The whole city block was torn apart from the force of his slash. I whirled around, being met by the shorter blade, my eyes widened at how little of an effort Kazuma seemed to exert to fight me. He continued to force me onto the defensive. He was blindingly fast, devastatingly powerful, and his expression was blank.

This wasn't the Kazuma I knew. This was the horror story that Mother so expertly caught REVOCS into. The dark smile, the shining in his eye, reminding me so much of the woman who ruined him. I blocked and dodged, not realizing that he grabbed my hair, slinging me down onto the ground and leaning down.

"Your hair is in the way..." he sighed. Kazuma smiled and let me get back up.

"Think of this as training, got it?" he asked. I smirked and I knew he didn't want me to hold back. I put my hand on my synchronization cuff.

"Junketsu, release all of my restraints!" I declared. Junketsu looked at me in shock.

**"Satsuki! I might lose control of myself! Are you certain?"**

"Yes, make me equal to him! This is the power of my will!" I declared, clicking my cuff. In a blinding flash of blue light, Junketsu came out black and azure, his pupils small and his armor even tighter around me. My hair went from black to snow-white, much like my mother's.

"Kazuma, this is the power of my will! My ambitions! This is Junketsu's ultimate form: Junketsu Shizui!" I roared, Bakuzan became a double-sided spear. Kazuma grinned and readied himself.

"Kibonochi! Unleash me!" he snapped, and in a blinding corona of golden light, a vicious pair of blades were in his hands, his hair was bright gold, and his armor was a burning orange color, his eye was glowing bright gold. The ground started to shake as we carved out a platform to see who was stronger. Junketsu Shizui or Kibonochi...

"This is Kibonochi's Unleashed Dragon form! Or Kibonochi Ryuken!" he declared.

"This will be the power of my determination and drive! To life or destruction! I'll always live on! That is what a dragon does! It lives on!" he screamed, his blades were lightning in a blade. His speed and mine were equal, and the city was leveled where we fought, our blood rained down, two gods fought for each other. I knew his determination was something to fear.

We clashed through the air, with both of us chasing each other with our swords blazing. We broke apart and exchanged blows, the heat making the steel skeletons bow down and the ground to turn to glass. We both kept fighting, relentlessly clashing and breaking apart. Our blades both sparking in every clash and blow.

Kazuma seemed to enjoy it, his mouth twisted into a near-sadistic smile. His swords glowed in the fires around us, burning and melting the area around us, with Kibonochi billowing in the hot wind. He advanced, his white blades steamed with the force of his blows. He never once held back, but I noticed that he was slowly getting lethargic, his Kamui boiling with his lava-esque blood. He dropped out of Ryuken, his Kamui ragged and torn up. I knocked him down and pointed Bakuzan at his neck.

"Why are you going through all of this trouble? Turning your back on me and Hannouji?" I asked.

"Because I want to be the one that finishes this!" he yelled.

I knelt, grabbing one of Kibonochi's eye flaps, "Listen here, Kazuma," I said, locking eyes with him, Junketsu Shizui deactivated and my hair went back to its lustrous shade of black. He looked so small, and I sheathed my blade.

"You don't understand how much you mean to me," I confessed.

"I love you more than anything, Kazuma," I sighed, grabbing his hands. He looked down at his hands, looking like he wanted to pull them away. He almost destroyed himself just to fight me. I leaned in, my lips capturing his, and I knew he missed me because he kissed me back intensely. Normally he'd do it without hesitation. But he hesitated then. He stopped and started again, his eye glowing in the red hellfire around us. He pulled me into his arms.

"I don't want to hide it anymore, I want to be by your side, Satsuki..." he muttered, his arms wrapped around me. I held him just as tightly, seeing Nonon's forces fighting Kazuma's rag-tag forces. We separated.

"We gotta stop this," He snarled.

"Agreed," I said, nodding. He tried to get up, but he was too tired from Ryuken to move as well as he used to, so I took his hand and helped him up, wrapping one of my arms around his shoulders. Again, he looked so small.

"Does this... mean we're an official couple now?" he asked, smiling wryly, his voice sounding tired.

I smiled, "Of course," I acknowledged.

* * *

I was havin' one helluva time! These Hannouji Academy dipshits thought they could beat me, the student council prez of Naniwa Kinman HS?! My dosh was more than these guys! My brotha was countin' on me ta protect Nudist Beach and minimize the bastards that'd get themselves hurt. I grinned like a kid on Christmas when some fools tried ta bring me down.

"C' mawn! Y' gonna need more than horns and drums to make me stop! I'm tha Crab of the Sworn Brothas! I ain't gonna even lose!" I yelled, drawin' my Levin Blade, it was a pretty lil' number of a blade that can shoot fuckin' 'lectricity! I was blastin' fools an' takin' names when all of a sudden I heard some sorta classical jam cut a path through my boys.

"Oi! What in the hell?" I snapped, raising my sword to point at the little pink bitch, Nonon!

"Ooh! I'm sorry, Takarada! I didn't see you there!" she snarled back, raising her pointy lil' bitch stick. I smiled.

"Well, if it isn't lil' Miss Snakey! Lemme jus'... FIRE UP THE BALLROOM BLITZ!" I screamed, my speakers, blastin' the song at full volume, causin' the ground to shake. Nonon stayed frosty, an' I was ready to throw down. My music and her music crashed against each other. I was leading my boys into an intense blitz.

"Lessee who's a betta friend! When I beat'cha, yer gonna be cryin' t' Satsuki afta all this!" I snapped, amping up my speakers. All while blastin' idiots and Nonon looked up at me in fury. I smirked, activating my Three-Star Ant-Goku Unie!

**[Three-Star Anti-Goku Uniform: Crab Regalia!]**

I landed, lookin' snazzy in a gold and emerald suit with golden crab claws on my hands. I had a crabby shell and helmet to protect m' noggin. It beat out the Dotonbori Robo that Nudist Beach gave me by a long shot! 'Specially 'cause it was made by Kaz's lil' sis Nui. I snapped my claws open an' shut. My gourds ready to be shot. I had crab legs that shot outta my back, too.

"Awright! Lemme show ya an ass-whuppin: OSAKA STYLE!" I yelled. Nonon didn't have any fancy uniform! I was a shoo-in victor! I stabbed the ground in front of her, seeing her blast off on a pair of rockets?! She was in some sorta tan, black, and pink rocket pack thing!

"EY! That's not fair!" I snarled, slapping her down with a claw on my extended legs. I batted her around, cackling and laughin' like no one's business. She had a new Symphony Regalia. She blasted some Bach or Mozart or some otha shit. With my helmet, I couldn't hear that dumb ol' sound! I didn't realize that's what she was plannin' on.

You can call me all kindsa things, but masta tactician ain't one of 'em...

"EAT MY SOUND, ASSHOLE!" Nonon snapped. She blasted off, her eyes wide and her air superiority only matched by me War of the Worldsin afta her.

"Hol' up! Stop it!" I snapped, loping after her on my legs, tryin' to stop her from rocketin' into Nudist Beach's main base and takin' it out. My gourds blasted out of my back in a heavy showa of gol' an' smoke, turnin' her route into a Touhou-level bullet hell. But with no respawns! Take that, y' bitch! Ol' Taka's gotcher numbuh!

"DANCE, SNAKE! DANCE!" I roared. I also set up turrets of anti-Goku Uniform bullets! She flew into the city, the missiles were tailing her. I watched as the turrets fired. Not a single one hit her, but one of the missiles took out an engine. She spiraled an' I caught her, seeing Kazuma and Satsuki walking towards us, holdin' hands. Well, she was leadin' him.

He was barely even standin', only bein' supported by Satsuki. His Kamui looked all kindsa beat up and torn up. He swayed a little. I dropped Nonon and she pouted up at me, I powered down my unie, seeing Satsuki so concerned 'bout him. She was givin' him tha: 'I'm going to go to bed with you tonight' eyes. In otha words, my brotha is gonna get laid by someone otha than tha Rainbow Bitch.

* * *

I huddled myself against Satsuki. Knowing that she was giving me the bedroom eyes. I was barely awake. She held me like a bride, seeing as I was the more empathetic and emotional than her, it was oddly fitting. Just feeling her strong and warm arms, hot with the blood of life and the fire of combat that embroiled us just a few hours? Days? Weeks?

All I wanted was to lay with her and kiss those now-scowling lips. To end the trauma with her warm arms around me, holding me and keeping me grounded. I wanted her to take it all away and slash it with her sword.

"Stand down, Nonon," she commanded. Nonon shook her head, blasting off and Takarada took a flying leap, jumping on and yanking her hat over her eyes. They flew like crazy, slamming into the underground base of Nudist Beach, an explosion tore through the base, Nonon and Takarada were flown free, with two pink blurs tearing the air to pieces.

One was in a frilly Lolita-styled dress with a single dark blue eye and a scowl on her doll-like features, a pair of dainty hands white-knuckling a purple scissor blade. The other was my Nui, smiling smugly. They were both tired, both equally as injured as the other. Satsuki held me closer. She glared at the Lolita and the Lolita shot around my sister, who tried to intercept her reaching hand.

She grabbed me, and I could just see my sister's face and Satsuki's face twist into one of rage. Lolita's grip was cold, unforgiving.

"Let him go, Harime!" Satsuki ordered.

"Nuh-uh! Kazuma's perfect for Mama's plan! Consider this... insurance!" she snarled.

"You... you BITCH!" my sister roared, raising her blade and charging at us, I screwed my eye shut, I didn't feel anything. I landed in a heap, my mind woozy and my head feeling like it was going to split open. Nui had thrown herself onto her other half, bashing and punching her black and blue, landing back and throwing herself onto me.

"If you wanna hurt my brother, you're gonna have to kill me!" Nui snapped, being joined by Satsuki raising her blade, not noticing a red dirt bike with Ryuko Matoi speeding towards all of us with Mako riding pillion behind her. She skidded into a flying leap, slamming her front wheel into the clone's face, digging her into the ground.

She parked her bike, "Looks like Kobe and Kyoto are under Sleeping Beauty's control right there," I was barely able to raise my head. All I could do was keep my eyes closed and my head down. I was too tired to do anything. Kibonochi was silent, too tired to articulate anything. We were in the same boat, being cradled in my little sister's tight hug.

Satsuki stood, "Matoi,"

"Kiryuin," Matoi acknowledged, nodding. It seemed that they wanted to call it quits because Satsuki took the odd red glove off her right hand and chucked it at Matoi, who caught it and put it on. What we didn't know was that Clone Nui was back up and seething angrily. She loomed over me and stabbed her blade right by my head.

"Do you think if I cut him open, will he bleed red blood or gray strings? I'm hoping red blood... but~" she cooed, hefting it up and getting hit by a giant golden claw. Takarada raged in, his claws snapping.

"Hey now! Don'tcha be cuttin' up my brotha!" he snapped. I fell deeper into unconsciousness, god knows I needed it after all that happened today. After all the bullshit of being forced to stay away from all the action, the one day I do see it I'm stuck being passed out in my girlfriend's arms, then my sister's arms. What kind of day is this? Is it even a DAY?

* * *

Harime looked so feral, so cornered. She seethed and stalked, seeing Takarada, Kaguya, and I between her and Kazuma frustrated her to no end. Not only that, but Matoi sped in, making me reevaluate what happened. This wasn't my plan at all. This was one big cluster of plans crashing together into one big potpourri of misplacements and overzealous attacks.

Inumuta had to fight Ira, Harime fought Uzu, and Nonon fought Takarada. Kazuma's men were loyal and orderly, while we had been scrambling to catch up. Mostly due to Uzu and Ira switching sides on me. Now we all stood together, with Harime tied up and Nui putting on her clothes.

"I'm gonna infiltrate REVOCS and get the intel on what the hell Ragyo's goal with the COVERS is," she said, kicking her clone in the side. I smirked. My mother might not be able to tell the difference. Nui popped her eye out and pocketed it in her other pants. Yes, she won't tell the difference. Clone Nui looked up at me, "Satsuki! Please, lemme go! Please, listen to me!" she urged. I stared coldly down at her, shifting Kazuma towards myself.

"No. You've been talking for long enough, Harime," I snarled.

"Satsuki... we used to be so close! Our hearts and souls beat together! Doesn't that qualify as trust?" she asked.

"No, not after you hurt the man in my arms now with your silence. You could've stopped my mother, but you didn't," I reasoned.

Harime smiled, "Oh, okay... lemme think... have you checked if he's still breathing? How about the other me?" she asked. I blinked, it was true, Kazuma was lighter than usual... that's when the Kazuma in my arms disappeared into Life Fibers, wheeling away on the breeze. I looked over at the others, they were looking around like crazy until we heard a loud crash.

Kazuma, beaten and bloodied, fell out of the sky, his Kamui fading out of Ryuken. A team of REVOCS goons surrounded us.

"Everyone! Secure the rebels!" Harime ordered from her tied-up perch. She untied herself and Kazuma's sister fell out of the sky too, just as wounded as her big brother.

"Kazuma Kaguya and Nui Kaguya, for your crimes against the REVOCS corporation and Ragyo Kiryuin, I sentence you, Nui, to death!" Harime chirped, lovingly caressing Kazuma's chin, which I hated. I hated Harime. How dare she touch Kazuma! I unsheathed Bakuzan. My eyes narrowed, Matoi already had her blade raised and Takarada had his claws ready.

"Ah! Ah! Ah! Don't interfere, my sweet Satsuki-chan!" she taunted, turning her lecherous attentions to my lover, who looked up at her with murder in his eye. She patted his head.

"Lucky for you, Kazzy, you get to survive all the bad things coming up! Mama has a really special plan for you! As for the rest of you, Osaka is about to become Takoyaki! So... Ta-ta!" she called. We all watched her go, with me giving chase. Like hell am I going to let Kazuma go again! But, Takarada stopped me.

"Satsuki! Calm yerself! We all gotta plan out our next move... Kazuma already knew that Harime was afta him!" he revealed.

"What?" I asked.

"He's tactical when he downs some liquor!" he informed.

I was enraged, my hands clenched my blade hilt. I needed to go back. Not for Kazuma, but... I needed to find out what was behind all this. There was no way my mother was- I flinched hard, white-hot knives of pain shot through my system. Junketsu Shizui took its toll. I resisted the urge to pass out, I needed to save Kazuma! I can't lose him! Not again!

We all saw Uzu and Ira return, with Ira enraged enough to make the ground shake. Uzu's kendo sword was snapped in half. Then, I felt something in my chest, something like a huge hot ball of molten... something. I started to sob, and everyone froze.

"Lady Satsuki?"

"Satsuki-chan?" Both Ira and Nonon piped up.

"Nnnh..." I groaned, trying to keep the floodgates from bursting. But I felt someone put their arm around my shoulders. I turned, expecting that wry smile, that gentle laugh, and those shining golden eyes that I wanted to see every single day. What I got was...

Matoi, "Listen, I know what it's like to lose people. An' I know we've been fightin' each other like no one's business. But seein' how close you and that Kazuma guy is... it makes me think of me and Mako," she stated, thumbing back to the bowl-cut wearing girl who was crying too. Kazuma told me a lot about Makanshoku, how he would always get her extra things and make sure her family wasn't without.

I steeled myself, "I need to return to the Manor, my mother is expecting a full report. Maybe I'll be able to get Kazuma out," I said. Takarada shook his head.

"Naw! You ain't goin' nowhere near there, Miss Dragon! There's no chance that you'd even see 'im..." he sighed.

"What makes you so sure?" I asked.

"I jus' know in my gut that... that Kazuma..."

"DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT HE WANTED THAT!" I snapped, interrupting him.

"I'm going, no matter what!" I snarled, my sword out and pointing at them all.

"I don't... I don't want to see Kazuma broken again... I want to save him, I want to hold him and tell him that she'll never come back, that she'll be dead and all there will be is... is us," I growled, tears still spilling.

"Kazuma, not ONCE. Ever wanted that. He was forced, coerced... Ira, Uzu, Nonon... you all will stay until you hear from me," I ordered.

"Hell no!" Nonon snapped.

"Yeah, we're comin' with!" Uzu agreed.

"I concur with Uzu and Nonon, we must go back to the Academy, she knows nothing of Uzu and I's betrayal," Ira rumbled.

"I have failed as Kazuma's guardian not once, not twice, but three times. I must atone by following you to the end," he continued.

* * *

It was cold. White and gray met me in the room. I didn't know where I was, and it seemed my body didn't want me to find out. I laid in a bed of sorts. My eye was barely open. All I remember is falling out of the sky. Then, ice-cold hands wrapped around me, roving my body.

"Why do you reject my love, Kazuma?" Ragyo asked, her lips close to my ear. That's when I was torn forcefully away from my Kamui, but he was torn up and threadbare, resting. I was numb, my eye barely open. I couldn't answer her.

"My sweet Kazuma... you love me, I know..." she crooned, kissing me. Ragyo molested me, her hands so cold and her body wrapped around me from behind. She always wanted this. She wanted me alone. She never cared about Satsuki, never cared about Harime, all she cared about was me.

"You're more than just my son, Kazuma... your resistance is so adorable thinking that they can change the natural cycle of the world. Do you truly think that you can stop me?" she wondered. I couldn't bring myself to answer. I couldn't answer. My voice was dead and gone, my throat was a wasteland of nothing. No sound. No-fuss. All I was. All I will be.

Is gone. The second I realized that I was in her arms again, I knew. I knew that she would never let me go again. I danced one last time with Satsuki. I danced and stumbled. I wanted to scream, to fight! But her arms were too strong, her love too intoxicating. Then, I let out a soul-piercing scream, one last act of defiance, I started to thrash.

'Get AWAY! GETAWAY! DON'T! DON'T!' I thought, trying to claw and fight my way out of her arms to save my sister and get the hell away! Nui needed me! Satsuki needed me! Everyone needed me! Ragyo pinned me to her bed, restraining my arms and hands. I thrashed even fiercer, trying to extract myself from her arms.

"Shh, don't struggle, it's alright, my dear," she whispered into my ear. I started to cry, that's all I could do as she ravaged my body, tearing down my defenses. Ragyo was no woman. She was a force of nature. She forced her tongue into my mouth, silencing me, leaving me breathless and gasping as she went down on me, tearing my mind to pieces with her domination.

I couldn't fight, I couldn't run, her legs and arms were wrapped tight around me. My face buried in her chest, silencing me further. All I knew...

Was silence.

* * *

_**A.N: Hey guys, this is the end of the Koi arc! The next update will be somewhere around Spring Break! I bumped it up to M because things are about to get dark. Anyway, please review with any questions, concerns, comments, whatever the hell you please.**_


	11. Episode 11: Tongpu

**[Episode 11: Tongpu.] **

**OP 3: Sky Should Be High from Guilty Gear Xrd REVELATOR.**

**It starts with Kazuma in odd gear, with Koudari and Koudashi at his hips, walking alone in the wastelands between Hannouji and everywhere else. He's on his own, both swords gleaming. At the softer bit of the song, he's wandering from place to place, Kibonochi, ragged and torn, fluttering in the wind. At the end of it all, the sun makes the screen go white...**

* * *

_Subject K has been returned. Restarting Project Threadbare with new data to play with will be extremely enlightening. With Subject K, henceforth being known as Tongpu. With his rather fragile mental state due to Ms. Kiryuin's... rather provocative methods to get him vulnerable, these are the transcripts of the interviews._

**_Tongpu._**

_Doctor Renfrow._

The interrogation room was bright, too bright. The subject squints, his singular golden eye swiveling to look at Doctor Renfrow.

_Dr. Renfrow: Good morning, Tongpu._

**_Tongpu: Is... that what they're calling me now?_**

Tongpu's golden eye widens, his hands gripping the arms of the chair, leaning forwards, his black and silver hair billowed slightly as he did that motion.

_**Tongpu: My name is Kazuma.**_

_Dr. Renfrow: Is that what they called you outside?_

**_T: Of course they did. Now, where's Ragyo? She's gotta be somewhere..._**

At this point, Tongpu started to get antsy. He seemed to desire to fight me.

_Dr.: Now, now, my boy. I am not your enemy._

_**T: Then what's with the tranq? Are y' gonna put me to sleep?**_

He seemed excited about that. Judging by the bruises and bite marks marring his body, Ms. Kiryuin had damaged him during her... breaking.

_Dr. R: So... does she damage you?_

**_T: Damage me?! The hell? Are you living under a rock? Look at my face, my neck, my arms! Yes! Conclusive evidence that I'm a victim of the pain of rape!_**

* * *

Dr. Renfrow was a kind man in his forties with graying brown hair and a slender face and build. He had turned off the recorder and my gray fibers wheeled away from his neck.

I was dressed in the fatigues of a mental facility, with Koudashi and Koudari, along with Kibonochi nowhere in sight. Ragyo took them. The Gray Fibers were all over him, repairing him. They would tell me that.

"Kazuma, is there anything I can do?" he asked.

"Yeah, keep that bitch away from me," I snarled. I didn't exactly trust him. Hence the reason why my Gray Fibers were out and wheeling through the whole room. I didn't know if it was days or weeks since Osaka happened. I wondered what became of Satsuki. Of my friends. My sister is probably dead already, considering the whole fact that she was sentenced to die.

"How long has it been, Doc?" I asked slowly.

"Since Osaka?" he asked.

"Forget it, I don't care. All I want is out of this godforsaken hellhole so I can finish what my parents have started!" I snapped.

Dr. Renfrow smoothed his suit jacket, "I know of the challenges you face, Kazuma. I've known you since you were five. I saw the bright little man you were... looking at you now, I have to wonder, where has that light gone?" he asked.

"Isn't it obvious? The only person who'd ever make me feel safe enough to be that light again... is Satsuki," I sighed, closing my eyes and feeling her warm arms, tasting her lips and just... letting go. Falling into her arms... feeling safe. Feeling like I was loved and valued. Feeling like nothing could hurt me. I wondered how she felt...

* * *

I didn't know what happened to Kazuma, all I did know was that he and his sister were missing. Mother gave me no answers, and I never expected her to. Yet, she seemed to be coy about him, even playful. She feigned grief. I seethed, what right does she have to his property? Koudari and Koudashi were his blades, and Kibonochi was his Kamui, not hers.

She kept them locked in a glass case, on proud display like some sick trophy. I put my hand on the glass, checking around me for Mother or anyone else before I made my vow. If Junketsu is my wedding dress, then Kibonochi was Kazuma's suit. I closed my eyes.

"I swear, Kazuma... I will return your Kamui to you, and your blades will herald in a new future alongside mine..." I muttered, kissing the glass. I imagined his dopey grin and golden-eyed stare. I wanted to rend my mother to pieces, I wanted to save him, and I wanted a future with him. Now I was alone again. Hannouji wasn't the same when my Elites and I returned.

The same electric air that permeated the school now died and the clouds of doubt surged forth. Many of the No-Star students that appreciated Kazuma's reforms of school government, like letting No-Stars have a say in meetings, came forward with their condolences.

"We heard he died, L-lady Satsuki," Genki, the boy Kazuma saved upon his first day here, said.

"No, he's not dead. He's somewhere... just not here," I sighed.

"You care about him a lot, Lady Satsuki?" he asked.

"Of course, Genki, he always did put himself before any foe. He... he loved this school more than anything because he knew his family was here, can you keep a secret, Genki?" I asked.

Genki nodded, "I was the one that hid all the investigation stuff for you to find! He left specific instructions for me to follow, I'm Genki Narohoudou: The Flea of the Sworn Brothers!" he revealed.

"Why 'The Flea'?" I asked.

"Fleas are small! And no one ever suspects small guys like me funneling information and stuff! That, and Monkey was taken!" He proudly puffed out his chest and winked, causing me to smirk a little.

**[Genki Narohoudou: The Flea of the Four (Five?) Sworn Brothers.]**

"So, if y' need me to get anything for ya, I'm your man!" he said.

"How about a very important set of swords? Oh, and a Kamui, can you get those?" I asked.

"Depends," Genki snarled.

I rolled my eyes, "What do you need?" I asked.

Genki smiled, "Well... it depends on what you're... offering," he awkwardly said.

"Do you want my six-inch heel up your ass?" I asked.

"That's not what I meant!" he snapped.

"What do you mean?" I snarled.

"I meant... what's the danger?" he wondered. I took a deep breath.

"My mother guards the case herself, she's nigh unstoppable, but if we open a window..." I segued.

"You're going to sacrifice me to your omnicidal mom?" he asked.

"No, I'm going to use you as a distraction, and Inumuta too... how many spy gadgets do you have?" I inquired.

"Uhm... about as many as ya want, but about the payment..." He sighed.

"What? Is it something as low-brow as panty shots? Maybe even a pass? Or maybe... you want me before Kazuma gets to fuck my brains out?" I teased, making Genki go beet red and raise his hands.

"No! Not at all, Lady Satsuki! That's like asking me to bang my sister! Ira, Uzu, Kaneo, and I all took an oath of brotherhood with Kazuma! If you want to pay me, do it in cash or... or chocolate! Lots of it! My lil' sis doesn't get much!" he squeaked. I smirked and nodded.

"Chocolate it is, then,"

We shook on it.

* * *

_Tongpu's abilities with the Gray Fibers expand day by day, they're an adaptational creature. They react to Kazuma's emotions and subconsciously protect him. I have taken to be his therapist. Maybe we can find a way to control his anger and paranoia... if not destroy it completely._

_Dr. Renfrow: Now, what do you remember of Ragyo before she... went insane?_

**_T: Insane? Insane? She's always been that way. Whatever happened to her, I could give less of a fuck about..._**

_Dr. Renfrow: I see..._

**_T: I do remember one time where she wasn't insane... more than one time. Once... she... she hugged me. It felt so... right._**

_Dr. Renfrow: In what way did it feel right?_

**_T: It was when my dad was still alive, and my mom hadn't abandoned me... back before Nui was born. I got pretty beat up, and Satsuki helped me back to her house... Ragyo treated me with care and love, she... was like my second mom... before..._**

_At this point, Tongpu's sadness came through._

**_T: Before all these stupid Life Fibers! Satsuki and I were kids, truly kids! Able to laugh and smile, to play as kids should... Now? I reach out for the bygone days, only to take the hand of the woman I know is still there, is still my Auntie Ragyo... Then I realize..._**

_Dr. Renfrow: Realize what, Tongpu?_

**_T: I realize that's just wishful thinking. I realize that she'd burned out her humanity long ago... Ragyo isn't human, doctor. Not anymore._**

_Dr. Renfrow: Do you count yourself as human?_

**_T: Hardly! Sometimes I think that I'll start going crazy, too... but hey, maybe I already am. I talk to my clothes, I talk to the strings, and I fell in love with the daughter of my abuser... Am I sane? Am I whole? You tell me, doctor._**

_Dr. Renfrow: I think you're a very articulate and cool-headed young man who is in desperate need of help._

**_T: Be blessed that you have never seen me angered._**

* * *

Keeping the cloaking shield up, Genki infiltrated. I tensed, here comes the hard part. I was half-expecting Ragyo to wake up and just dogpile him, but... she was actively asleep. Genki crept towards the case, gently opening it and sliding his hand in, Koudari came out first, followed by Koudashi. He checked behind him. Ragyo was a heavy sleeper, however, the same cannot be said for Hoomaru.

She shifted and Genki froze, waiting before the smaller woman settled down. He reached in for Kibonochi, looping his hands around him. Genki carefully picked up Kibonochi, gently cradling it to his chest. He was good, I'll give him that. Kazuma trusted him. Of course, he trusted someone like Takarada, so he's not exactly perfect. That's what I loved about him. Well, Genki was making his way out, holding Kazuma's stuff.

I couldn't help but feel something was wrong. Inumuta, Nonon, and I were in the getaway car, but Genki seemed to be after something else, too. He went into Ragyo's design lab, seeing something shining on the somewhat blurry screen. All of us gawked at the thing. It was white and red, shining like Ragyo's hair, it looked like a Kamui, and Junketsu shivered.

**"That's the father of Kazuma... What he's become..."**

Genki ran, his legs pumping and the camera went wild. He soon slammed into the car and I stepped on it, pealing off into the night. It seemed that Junketsu knew more about what that was.

"Kazuma warned me about that thing..." Genki gasped, holding Kibonochi and the swords.

"What is it?" Inumuta asked.

"That was the ultimate Kamui..." I gasped, not believing that I felt the power of it even through the screen. If Ragyo wore that... she'd be unstoppable. I clenched my hands into fists, white-knuckling the steering wheel. I closed my eyes, realizing that it was now or never.

"Inumuta, activate the Last Gambit Contingency..." I muttered.

"Just in case?" he asked.

"Yes," I agreed. The Last Gambit was the signal to prepare for the Grand Sports and Culture Festival. The final phases of Ragyo's plan and the beginning of the end of mine were coming. All I needed was Kazuma...

* * *

My Gray Fibers started to writhe. I stood on my own, my Gray Fibers formed into various blades and other weapons, I went through my stances, fighting false COVERS and other opponents, my eye tracked them, I dodged and weaved, trying to keep my record going. I liked my actual blades better, they were less clumsy and much more durable.

_"What do you want to be?"_

I want to be a hero.

_"A hero? That doesn't sound like you,"_

You don't know me anymore. I've changed. I realize that I need to rise and become the hero I aspire to be. I have someone to fight for! Satsuki's waiting for me! I bashed one of the COVERS out of my way and shooting into a crowd of them, skewering some of them brutally. I had no words to give. No more. No more bowing and scraping.

When I see that woman's face again, I'll lop her head off and use it as a speed bump! No, that's too good for Ragyo... No... no... Ruin her dreams and leave her alive so she can live in a world where no one remembers or cares about her? No, a life with her is not a life at all. If I'm to die. I'll do it by my hand, by my own volition. I'll be at peace.

_"What about me?" _

Of course, my conscience would take the form of Satsuki. She was ninety-nine percent of my impulse control. She stood in front of me, her long black hair billowing slightly in an absent breeze. Her azure eyes stared into my single golden one. I wanted her back. I wanted to be with her. She was my other half. My eye closed, feeling her warm arms around me.

We were stronger together rather than apart. She was the tactician. I was the swordsman. She was the one who motivated me to keep on going down my path, carving it out with tons of pain and sweat, dying over and over just to fight on. One without the other was almost unheard of. My Gray Fibers could transform into many weapons.

Spears, swords, and even guns. Nothing could beat that. My regenerative factor was slow but strong enough to fully repair torn tissue and ligaments. Leaving behind a mesh-like black material before it fell away to reveal new skin. I didn't want to know what they could do to lost limbs, but I'd find out soon enough I guess. Doc and I kept talking.

_Dr. Renfrow: How are you, Tongpu? Getting used to your new abilities I imagine?_

**_T: Yeah, yeah, I am. I'm getting used to them swimmingly!_**

_Doc: Good, good... now, you seem a bit down, why is that?_

**_T goes silent._**

**_T: I want to go. I want to see Satsuki again... _**

_Doc: There is still work to be done, Tongpu._

**_T: Every second I stay here, we lose another life to the COVERS. Every second I stay here, the more Satsuki is in danger. Without me, she tends to make rash decisions..._**

_Doc: What kind of decisions?_

**_T: One time I left with Uzu and Ira to Hokkaido to watch the Sumo matches, y' know? I get back, and Satsuki tackles me! Freakin' gets a running start and full-speed tackles me! Of course, it didn't help that Nonon and Ira set a literal bet to see which of us made the first move... and I did. I think? Then there was that one time with the vending machine getting Satsuki's snack stuck, so she took out Bakuzan and slashed it open!_**

_Doc: It seems like she represses her anger._

**_T: I just hope she doesn't do anything that'll get herself hurt..._**

* * *

The bed was cold. Colder than ever. I laid there, my eyes closed, wishing that Kazuma would be on the other side of the door. Wishing that he'd come in, ditching his Kamui on the floor and falling into bed, dragging himself into my arms. So I could hold him and we can finally sleep. I held Kibonochi in his stead, the shining red and gold eyes looking up at me.

"I don't understand you, but... I hope you know how much I love him..." I sighed, burying my face into the silky fabric. It warmed and I realized that's what Kibonochi would use to comfort Kazuma. I smiled and he seemed to comfort me by rubbing his sleeves on my back. I was being hugged by his coat.

I missed him terribly, and I realized that he was ninety-nine percent of my rage control... the main evidence was the training room, where the bots were massacred, and all of them were on the highest settings. All of them were broken, shattered, smashed to bits. All from the ire that I held in. There were many times when I wanted to murder my mother where she stood.

All because of Kazuma's calming influence, I held back. I held back because of him. Now I just feel like I need him to calm me down. Kibonochi was warm and looking up at me. He was like a warm fabric puppy, rubbing my back and my cheeks, making me feel better. I held him tighter, closing my eyes and surrendering myself to the silver seas of sleep, still wanting Kazuma by my side.

The dream started with somewhere familiar. My mother's office. The view to the outside was obscured by the relentlessly lashing rain. It was pounding on the window, but I remember this day because of one thing. This was the day my father left. If only I looked between the lines a bit harder... then maybe I'd be better off. The rain lashed at the windows harshly, flashes of lightning illuminated the room, and there, sitting in the chair...

Was me. Older, noble faced and imperiously looking down at myself. My hair was remarkably similar to Ragyo's.

"Why're you so attached to that fool?" she asked.

"Because I love him. He's more human than most people," I informed. The other me smiled widely, picking up a chain and dragging a bloodied and beaten Kazuma from behind the desk. He was shaking, looking up at the other me and huddling against her, whimpering like a dog.

"He'll die... you'll fail, and mother will destroy you two," she predicted.

I felt a white-hot bolt of anger pierce my chest. How... how dare she decide the future? It's not set in stone and never will be! Every day we journey after the same end, but I wanted Kazuma back with me. I wanted and needed him despite his faults and trauma getting in the way. He's using the coming apocalypse as an excuse to run away from his problems.

Yet, I see it in his eye, I see the pain he holds so tightly. I see that forced smile and the drawled 'I'm okay.' I want to hug him tightly and tell him that he's not alone, never alone. I'm here and I love you enough to die to see your real smile again. I saw the sadness running through him. I wanted to save him... I wanted to save just him.

"Foolish little girl..." the other me sighed.

"I just want him! I want him to live a good life with me!" I yelled back.

"And there it is! That foolish motive!' the other me snarled. The storm moaned against the windows, the wind sounding like the younger Kazuma's chorus of moans from the tapes.

"You'll be like your mother... why do you think he's not raring to come back?" the other me asked.

"Because... every time he looks at you, he sees her. He sees Ragyo. He sees the woman who ruined his life... how could he love you?" she asked.

"No, he doesn't see her... he sees me, he sees the woman he loves enough to push her away..." I sighed.

I woke up with tears in my eyes.

* * *

I wanted to run.

I wanted to hide.

I was a fool to run...

From the other me inside.


	12. Episode 12: Passion and Pain

**[Episode 12: Passion and Pain.] **

**OP 3: Sky Should Be High from Guilty Gear Xrd REVELATOR.**

**It starts with Kazuma in odd gear, with Koudari and Koudashi at his hips, walking alone in the wastelands between Hannouji and everywhere else. He's on his own, both swords gleaming. At the softer bit of the song, he's wandering from place to place, Kibonochi, ragged and torn, fluttering in the wind. At the end of it all, the sun makes the screen go white...**

* * *

Day in.

Day out.

The same guards, the same everything. If the other me wanted to bore me to death, and she got to her wish... God, I'm bored! I'm sure my big brother is getting hurt by Ragyo over and over. I shifted in my bunk. Bored bored bored bored bored bored... BORED! My cellmate's name was the Thames, and he was part of REVOCS's UK branch, one of Ragyo's proxies that were lobbed in here for a stupid reason...

It was allergy season, and the poor Thames has a pollen allergy... of course, that contained a hell full of sneezing and sniffling. His day was going well until a presentation, where he sneezed too loud and earned him a life sentence. Another guy, nicknamed Pennie, was a mailroom boy, the youngest other than me. He accidentally dropped a penny onto the ground in front of the other me...

That earned him a life sentence and the revoking of his dominant arm. There was Zeale and Deter, they both jammed the copier on accident, losing both their hands and gaining life sentences. Mommy always said how unfair the justice system was when you had two perfectionists running the world. She was more than right. Zeale was a cute guy, always staring at me with a happy smile. He was a little... slow.

Deter loved his brother, and he always said, "Zeale thinks that yer an angel,"

He'd give me a tiny paper crane, and I held it now. Looking at it, it had writing on it. Yet, I never unfolded it.

The Thames leaned over the side, "Hey Baba, what d'you think we should do?" he asked. He was tallish, sallow and thin. His hair was black and swept over his forehead.

"You got any cards?" I asked, my nickname, Baba Yaga, was because I fought the guards on my first day here, making them respect me. Trotser from the Russian section witnessed it and called me, "Baba Yaga!" while nursing his flask of whiskey.

"No, wish I did, Baba..." he sighed.

"All we can hope is that we have a window to escape before Ragyo causes the apocalypse..." I huffed. He grunted and scratched yet another hashmark into the dank walls of our cell. I commanded respect here, that's all. At the Mess Hall, Zeale, Deter, and Pennie joined us. We all sat together, my height making my feet barely touch the floor.

I was always the short one. We all sat together, seeing all the other inmates like Trotser and some of the others like Ken and Chi, they got in after smuggling some illicit material, involving my brother, to Satsuki. It seemed to be three tapes. The Thames leaned forwards.

"Everyone, this is Baba Yaga, or jus' call her Baba," he introduced. They all waved silently, going back to their food. Pennie nudged me gently.

"How'd you get in here?" he asked, his eyes were green and his hair was bright orange, he seemed like he was scalded. I smiled.

"It's a long story, but I've got time. Okay, so you know the Kaguya family, yeah?" I asked. Everyone at my table cocked their heads to the side.

"We used to be close with the Kiryuins. My brother is fucking Ragyo's daughter," I blithely stated, leaving a few of them in shock. Some of them have seen Satsuki, and they knew exactly who I was referring to.

"So, anyway, Ragyo went insane and my mom and I made a rebellion called Barbershoppe, and here I am..." I summed up. The others stared up past me, I didn't notice a single person move, everything slowed down...

*Khck! BAM!* *BAM!*

Ken and Chi both slumped, and I turned towards the man who made the gunshots. He was tall, his eyes were a piercing reddish-brown and his hair was silver, the other inmates seemed to catch their breaths, not even breathing out for a second. He wore a borderline military uniform and held a slightly smoking Glock in his hand.

"Baba, that's the Warden..." The Thames whispered. The Warden made his way towards our table. His eyes shining hungrily at me. Why did my brother and I attract such beautiful creeps? He stopped in front of me and knelt, his reddish-brown eyes roving my body.

"You are... Nui Kaguya, yes?" he asked in a halting Italian-ish accent.

"Yeah, so what?" I asked.

"Hah. I like you," he chided, grabbing my hand and gently hoisting me up.

"A treasure like you does not need to be among the rabble..." he whispered, yanking me along behind him. The other inmates stared at me in shock as he led me away. Maybe I could use this to my advantage... The Warden sat me down, straightening me and smiling so sleazily. He was handsome, but... he gave me a bad vibe. I stared straight ahead.

His office overlooked the work yard, with a balcony overhanging it and looking out at the mountains framing the prison, or Site A. Many of the other guys and girls I knew also called it Asphodel. His office was full of filing cabinets. Yet, his window faced the oppressive iron gate that kept everybody in and nobody went out except for him and his detail, what many of the guys and girls called the 'Diet REVOCS Police.'

"Ah! Yes, just like that, dear," he gasped, holding his fingers up in a picture frame. He seemed too joyous.

"So... how'd you get in here?" I asked.

"Oh? Dear, the same way everyone gets here... through that gate. We enter a world of regulations, where death can happen at any time... as you saw with those two pieces of garbage. Such wastes of potential," he sighed, twirling his hand through my hair, leaning down.

"Yet you, Nui, are bursting at the seams with it! So much potential! So much that Kiryuin and that woman can barely comprehend it! Your talents are so wasted..." he pouted like a child, straightening with a snap of his bootheels. Starting to circle me like a hungry wolf eyeing a lamb.

"You, the little sister of famed aspiring revolutionary Kazuma Kaguya, are just complacent with your dreams... you need to wake up, dear... your brother won't always be so strong. He'll grow complacent, old, fat and lazy... yet you! You, Miss Nui Kaguya, will stay strong, beautiful..." He muttered, leaning down.

"If you just stay by my side, we'll become the ones to usher in a new future! Doesn't that sound wonderful?" he asked.

"Oh... yeah... right... heh..." I mumbled, not appreciating the character assassination of my brother. If I had my sword I'd chop off the Warden's arm for even thinking about my big brother in that way. He was a dunderhead sometimes, but he was my dunderhead. The Warden's eyes widened, and his smile was bright. If he wasn't a man who just gunned down two guys that were just peacefully eating, I would've found him to be handsome.

Now he was just Diet Ragyo. He even dyed his hair to be like hers only to fail miserably. It looked sort of washed out, and there was no rainbow light, but he had the cold efficiency down-pat. He wore white to symbolize his purity, but black underneath, showing that he wasn't too moral. I glared right back at him.

"Poor little girl... so lost in her own story... are you the Protagonist? No, you're not, your brother is the Protagonist. You are the Side-Character..." he sighed, petting my hair again.

"Would you like to be the Protagonist? The main character?" he asked. I didn't do anything that indicated yes or no. He leaned down on me, his eyes fixed on me.

"Come now, dolce piccola signorina, seize the chance, my dear..." he begged. I looked at the door.

"I'll... uh... think about it," I mumbled gently.

The Warden let me go, and I walked back to my cell, with the Thames waiting.

"So, how'd it go?" he asked.

"Creepy," I sighed, shuddering. I hated that, I hated the Warden. Gunning down two innocent men that were just going about their lives...? I only hoped Kazuma was in a better situation than me...

* * *

I fell to my knees, it happened so fast. One second, the Doc and I were having a nice conversation... then boom! COVERS. I had run, grabbing the Doc and hauling ass to the nearest exit. He was wounded, his eyes started to glaze over.

"C'mon, doc! You gotta stay with me!" I urged, looking down at him. He was the only link I had left for anything resembling a past. A past I wanted to know about. A past I wanted to know that my mother wouldn't ever tell me about. He was my only link. He knew who I was.

"Kazuma, leave me..." he sighed.

"No! I won't lose anybody else!" I denied.

"There's... the problem! You run away... you forget and hide... Like a game of Hiding and Seek..." He said, grabbing my gown and leaning up towards me.

"Follow this order... Fight. Fight your demons, kill your demons... live on to fight. Don't! Don't you dare run away!" he urged. I let him go, seeing the long road ahead. I only had one place to return to. One place to go where I always belonged...

Hannouji Academy. I walked alone, my gown billowing in the lonely wind and making my eye water, leaving Doc behind. I only hope that his soul got where he wanted to go... I saw the city, deathly quiet except for a few dogs barking up a storm at me. I just drifted along, my eye closing, opening, closing. My hair billowed in the wind. I wanted to go home.

I wanted to fall into Satsuki's arms, finally belonging somewhere where Ragyo couldn't hurt me. Then again... I had to face my demon. He was a weak-looking thing, bones showing through his skin, almost translucent.

"Love... love..." he moaned, his sallow gray eye met my gold one. He crawled up to me, pooling at my feet.

"We... need... love... real love..." he begged.

"I know, I know..." I sighed.

"Ragyo... killed our love... made it... wrong. Can we love Satsuki?" he asked.

"I dunno," I huffed.

"Then, we must prove it to her... love... love..." the demon begged. There was only one way to kill it. It was to face my fear of intimacy, the kind that Ragyo shoved down my throat and made me hate. Every time I close my eyes at night I feel her there, I feel her cold hands, see the bioluminescence and let out a scream of utter despair.

Satsuki was the only one I felt safe around, so... she'd have to do.

The thin man was only one of my demons, the others were bigger, meaner. Much more deeply seated than him. I lashed a strand of Gray Fibers on the wall and climbed up to Satsuki's quarters, seeing her in her bathrobe, loosely flared out and exposing her ivory legs and she seemed lost in thought, Bakuzan was leaned against the arm of the chair. Her eyes were closed, and I wanted to open the window and slink in, sticking to the shadows.

Yet, I never once got that far whenever I snuck up on her, that, and I was too young to die. I noticed Junketsu and Kibonochi hanging side by side, asleep. I was so proud of her for getting him out of Ragyo's hands. My blades were hung on the rack, too. Her legs shifted and I lowered myself to swing onto the sill. She still didn't see me, until I slipped off the sill.

'Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!' I thought, slowing myself with another strand of Gray Fibers, it was hard to get used to the fact that I could do Cirque du Soleil-level acrobatics and swing around like a spider. Even more difficult was the other abilities, like slow regeneration and the fact that I had spears that could shoot out of my back like quills. It was hard to believe that I even was still human.

I slinged my way up onto the sill, seeing Satsuki standing there with a coy smile on her face, "Do you want me to let you in?" she asked.

"Y-yeah..." I stammered, my eye staring into hers, they looked like they were the sky itself, she gently pulled me in and I shut the window behind me, my fibers wheeling through the air.

"So... this is where you've been, doing tricks outside windows in a hospital gown?" she assumed.

"No! I was just... I just... damn!" I snapped, using my old cover of being too proud to admit that I missed her. The coy smile never fell. She brushed my hair out of my eye and touched my scar, tracing it gently, her soft touch made me start to fidget. My demon appeared.

"Love! Love! She's here! Our love!"

I sighed and tried to lean into it. Satsuki gingerly sidled away, "You're uncomfortable, right?" she asked.

"Y-yeah..." I agreed, she took my wrist, gently placing my hand over her heart, pressing it down and smiling. I felt her heart hammer against my hand, her eyes closed and her smile never faded. Her starlight eyes shined in the dim light and I looked down at my feet.

"Do you feel that?" she asked. I nodded.

"This heart beats for you, okay?" she reasoned, tipping my face up with her free hand. My mind was screaming at me, 'NO! Don't! She'll turn out just like Ragyo! Stop it! Stop it, me!' I felt her warm hand radiate heat to my face. She leaned forward, her eyes piercing me down to my soul. I was fully expecting her to slam hard into me, her tongue forcing its way down my throat and almost choking me, but... she didn't do that?

"Do you want this?" she asked.

I was taken aback, "What?" I asked.

"Oh please, I am not my mother, I want to know... do you want this?" she repeated. Was she... asking for my consent? Normally Ragyo would just tackle me and tear off whatever I was wearing, tearing her clothes off and having her way with me, ravaging me until there was nothing left but my broken pride, sobbing like a wounded animal, being held in her cold arms and shushed with even more gross kisses.

Satsuki waited patiently, her eyes drinking in my body... but it didn't feel wrong. That's what was weird. I hesitated still. She waited. I leaned forward, trying to say what I wanted to say.

"I... I... I want this. I want... I want you," I admitted, her hands drifted down to the folds of her robe, she undid it and I saw the most beautiful thing in the world... the body of my lover. Perfect, unmarred, pale skin. Her hair was a stark contrast to it. She took a deep breath, her eyes looking down at me.

"Alright... what do you want to do?" she asked.

"I... uh... uhm..." I stammered, my face turning red as she stripped off my gown, dumping it to the side. Her blue eyes seemed to glow in the light of the moon, her hand on my cheek brushed my scar. She looked divine... like the moonlight given form. Something that was out of my reach but here anyway.

"Handsome is the man covered in scars..." she muttered, my heart was thudding, and the demon was there. My eyes locked on Satsuki's everything. She bore herself to me, and I had no idea what to do. No idea, because normally... or abnormally. I was unprepared for it all. She was here, fully willing. Fully aware of what I went through.

Yet, she wanted to do this. I wanted to do this... She kissed me, slowly, gently... and pulled away when I tensed.

"It's alright, it's just me, just..." she sighed, grabbing my hands, "Me,"

I didn't want to hurt her. I didn't want to rough her up. She gently pulled me into her arms, wrapping herself around me and slowly feeling me up. Slowly we went, languid kisses and tender words, her eyes focused on me and only me. We fell onto the bed, her arms around me. She smiled, her eyes shining.

"Now then, shall we continue?" she asked.

"Uh... oh! Oh! Oh no..." I gasped. I... uh... had a boner. Thoughts of Satsuki being disappointed flooded my mind, but she laid her hand on my member and stroked gently, I closed my eye, and took a deep breath, causing her to pull away again. I cursed myself, I wanted to tackle her and have her! Why did I hesitate?! I know it's Satsuki!

I love her! I care about her! I worry about her! Why am I so scared?! I wanted to throw all caution to the wind! Satsuki started to rub my back, her voice low.

"Easy... easy... shh..." she soothed, her eyes closed and her smile was small. I laid my head between her breasts, closing my eye and sighing. I couldn't get Ragyo out of my head. She was too ingrained. Too deeply seated. She taught me that love was fighting for approval, fighting for love was brutal and unfair. While Satsuki was so considerate.

Satsuki kissed me slowly, it was now or never. I reached up, deepening the kiss with a push into her arms. She wrapped them around me, pulling away but holding me tightly. Her body was warm, her hair was so soft... She was like... like a dream. I didn't want to wake up from this one. Because I knew it was real. I gently grabbed her chest, right over her heart.

"Ah! What're you-" she started.

"Shh! I'm listening..." I soothed, closing my eye.

She waited, and I smiled.

"Your heartbeat is so gentle... so... strong. I want to listen to it forever. It's never loud or thundering so much that it sounds like a ticking time bomb, it's pure and gentle, it knows what it wants..." I sighed. Her delicate, but strong hand placed itself over mine, she closed her eyes.

"Your heartbeat is... erratic. Panicked, scared... but, you have an underlying beat that signifies that you still have the drive to accomplish what you want. You..." quieted her with a kiss.

"I'd die for you, you know that... right?" I asked.

She nodded, her eyes opening, "I'd do the same if it meant you'd be safe..."

I knew that in a week, it'd all come crashing in. The COVERS would awaken, sealing the fate of everyone I knew. Taka, Ira, Uzu, Genki, Nui, Satsuki... all of them. All while my mom doesn't do shit to help... What would Dad do? Anyway, Satsuki kissed me again, forcing me back on the pillows, now that I was used to her, she could get down to business.

And I was lost within the sea of bliss that was my only love. I fought, bled, almost died, mutilated, and killed myself for her again and again. She was in my arms, pure and untainted. I felt every bit of doubt and fear leave my mind... only leaving bliss in its wake. I kneaded her soft breasts, hearing her moaning and her muscles going slack.

She was mine. All mine. She melted into my arms, her eyes closed and her breath short, "I... I... I love you!" she gasped.

"Always! Always and... ah!" she then started to moan, even more, I held on tightly, my eye closing as my teeth scraped against her neck. She was mine. I won the game, and I was collecting what Ragyo owed me. The demon was gone, and in the place of it... a lovely angel named Satsuki Kiryuin.

I pulled back a little, "Did that hurt?" I asked tentatively. She shook her head, her cheeks flushed.

"Please, don't stop..." she begged, making me blush furiously. 'Damn! She's making it harder to focus!' I thought, kissing her and leaning into it, not using my tongue, I wasn't going to stoop to Ragyo's level. Satsuki wrapped her legs around me, pulling me down and making me stop just before entering her. I hesitated. I always hated this part.

At this juncture Ragyo would've pinned me, her maroon eyes would be boring into my soul, her right hand would be clenching tightly around my neck and her lips would on mine, sucking in what air I could breathe in. Then the searing, burning sensation in my lungs would start as she made me enter her. The dread, the fear, how good it felt and how wrong the person I was sharing the bed with was... didn't matter.

The world faded back in, and I saw Satsuki laying there, bite marks, bruises, even some fingernail scrapes were on her previously unmarred skin. Her luscious black hair fanned out from beneath her. It was messy.

Satsuki still looked up at me, a little confused by my reluctance, "It's okay... don't worry... it's okay..." she soothed, cupping my cheek with one of her hands, tracing my scar, leaning up and kissing me.

She was inches away when she parted from me, "She's not here. She'll never touch you again... I'm here. It's our time. Our turn to express what we've longed to express. I can feel it, I can feel your passion, your desire... so, one last question... no, one last promise," She said, leaning up, her lips pressed to my ear, her low, warm voice breathed into my ear this one request...

"Take me. This is our nuptial. This is our night. Where we don't have to worry about the destruction of the world... all we have is each other. We're bonding more than our flesh tonight. We're bonding our souls. Our hearts will beat as one. So, close your eye and just let go..."

And let go I did. One second, I was kneeling, and in the next second, I was on top of her, kissing her, my breath coming out in short gasps. I relentlessly pounded her, my mind lost in a haze. All I saw was her. She was smiling, gasping, moaning and screaming in joy. I held her close, tight. Where she belonged. Where I belonged, Who I am, it didn't matter.

I was in my Satsuki's arms. Where nothing could hurt me. Not Ragyo, not the deaths I experienced, not even the demons. I always wanted this. I wanted this ever since that night at the Manor where all of this began. Where I pined for the goddess that I only hoped to reach in dreams. Where I wanted her the most. Now she was mine.

I thrust strongly, gently, hearing her moaning cries and small encouraging remarks. I felt the pleasure building up, I was good at holding it all in. Then, I heard her gasp out.

"Ka- Kazuma! I'm... I'm..."

In one loud cry, I let go, and it got messy. I gasped and huffed, covered in sweat, sticky down there and extracting my member from Satsuki, who shuddered. In a breathy voice, she said.

"I love you," those three little words made my heart soar, I leaned down, pressing my lips to her ear, feeling the soft folds of her hair.

"No matter what, come hell or high water, I'll always be here with you. I love you, and I want you to be happy. I want you to know that even if you don't love me, I'll still love you..." I vowed, kissing her curves, her stomach, her cheeks, her hairline, the top of her head. Showering her with slow, lazy kisses, tracing her body gently with my hands. I laid my head down against her chest, she leaned up and kissed me.

"Goodnight... my dragon..." she muttered, and I closed my eye.

* * *

Waking up was harder now. Especially since I was stuck in a borderline concentration camp. Warden kept on being creepy, watching me from his office and waving. I hated him... we lost Pennie. One minute, he was eating, and the next... beaten. We lost Zeale and Trotser. One minute, just playing cards, and the next, hung from the battlements with stakes through their chests, screaming in Russian and Japanese for mercy.

I wanted to do something! I can't just stand by and watch as innocent men and women wait to die! The Thames and I sat together, his eyes haunted, his movements stilted. Deter looked towards the outer walls. Zeale would be by my side, too, watching me with that handsome smile and twinkling amber eyes.

"Zeale... he wanted to see what was beyond those damn things... we were born here, y'know? And every day... he'd ask: D'you think we'd go beyond the walls again? And I'd answer: Maybe. Always maybe. Well, I ain't gonna stand here and die like cattle! Baba, you got an in with the Warden, please... for my brother," he pleaded. So here I was, in the women's section of the prison.

One of the women, Dagda, gave me a dress that hugged my curves and had no Life Fibers in it. It was pink like my old dress. Like the one my clone now wears.

"Are y' sure you wanna do this, Baba?" she asked, she was from the Stockholm branch, a family woman. She was the breadwinner. The only reason why she was here was that she didn't want to miss her daughter's recital. Ragyo was the one to orchestrate her punishment. That's why she was wearing black. She was a strong woman, stronger than Mommy ever was.

Mommy would freak out, bursting in and just mowing down whatever was in her way. Yet, Dagda was more of a mother than she was. She was brushing my hair, humming a sad tune.

"My dear little Flicka, please... you don't have to do this..." she sighed, hugging me.

"Aw, c'mon Dagda... it's what my brother would've done..." I sighed.

"But you are not your brother, little Flicka, from what you describe of him... he's stronger than you. I am worried for you, and may god see fit that you have a safe return..." she said. If only she knew that Kazuma was nothing like I described him. He was scared and lost. Yet, he kept going. Becoming so much more than what others thought of him.

I went up to the Warden's office, knowing that the guards would let me through. He welcomed me with a smile, and I didn't hear his words. All I wanted to do was avenge everyone he killed. Regardless of if I knew them or not. I could do more. I could save more lives.

"What do you need, my dear?" he asked.

"My request is simple, my body for a life!" I demanded. He got a hungry glint in his eyes.

"Well then, my dear... then your request is granted..." he sighed, smelling my hair.

"Just tell me which life you want to be saved... and I'll take them away from this place forever..." he muttered in my ear.

"Deter. Number One-One-Three-Seven-Two-Six-Five," I answered.

"With the slow brother, I strung up? I thought you'd save yourself!" he laughed.

"Well then, I'll send him out," he relented. Now, I was lying in his bed, watching that maniac sleep. Kazuma would probably rip him to pieces while Takarada would blast the bastard to hell. I sighed and sat up, tying my hair back into a long ponytail. Deter left that morning, I slept in though. Next were Thames and Dagda. It was necessary.

I just hope I get out in time to help save the world.

* * *

I woke up a little sore. My neck throbbed from Kazuma's teeth scraping against it last night. He was so peaceful when he was asleep. Last night was amazing, all of the emotions I felt and all he felt, all he bore to me. All he gave and all I received. I loved him. I love him even more now. His strong arms wrapped around me, his lips brushing against my bruise.

"Sorry... I got a little... carried away..." he muttered, his fibers winding around me, soft and strong. He held me and continued his feather-light kisses. I leaned back, my eyes fixed on the clock.

We had a week to prepare for the Grand Festival, and of course, Kazuma seemed raring to go for 'The Final Confrontation.' Both Junketsu and Kibonochi's ultimate forms were unwieldy and incomplete, but with Kazuma's Gray Fibers picking up the slack, maybe we'll have a better shot. I tried to get out of bed, but Kazuma would always pull me back into his arms.

"No, I'm not ready yet," he said. His golden eye shined in the dim early morning light. It was going to rain today. He held me still, kissing my chest, going downward and kissing every square inch of my body, making me shiver. He was thorough, methodical, and so very gentle. I shook in his embrace. I understood what it was like for him, but... I loved every second of our lovemaking last night, how tentative and adorable he was.

Now all I needed to do was help him with his fear of being in a tub.

"I need to get up," I informed him.

"Okay, here we go..." Kazuma segued, hoisting me up and stalking over to the bathroom, his fibers darting around, turning on the lights, starting the water, everything. We were still naked from last night, and he gently settled into the tub, still holding me.

"Kazuma? I'm very capable of dealing with my washing myself," I informed.

"Tell that to me ten seconds ago when I gave a shit, now relax! Today is the day you relax and I take care of you!" he declared.

This could only go so well...


	13. Episode 13: A Broken Crown

**[Episode 13: A Broken Crown.] **

**OP 4: This Is War by 30 Seconds to Mars.**

**Kazuma and Satsuki stand together against Ragyo, standing on a chessboard, pieces fall around them as they fight her, tears stream down Kazuma's face as good memories blaze into flame, burning away as he fights on, no matter how wounded he gets, he still walks by Satsuki's side, always there and always fighting. The end of the OP sees Kazuma finally standing before Ragyo...**

**And Satsuki appears by her side. Blinded by a blindfold and wielding the Dual Bakuzans. Kazuma clenches Koudari and Koudashi, Kibonochi Ryuken flaring to life as the logo is burned out.**

* * *

With every passing day, I'd fall more and more into the dark recesses of the Warden's office, growing numb by the second. My schedule was...

Wake up.

Do morning duties.

Get The List from the Thames. I'd pick the elderly and the sick. Even guys and girls around my brother and I's age.

Then, the Transaction, which I was done with for today. The gates would open more and more, and groups of three or four would stagger out single-file, singing my name and waving to me from below the balcony. Yet today was... different. We heard a loud *SPWWWWEEEEEEE!* I heard a huge explosion, rocking the prison in its rocky cradle. I jolted up, seeing something I wasn't expecting. Gourd rockets! I was never this happy to realize that Takarada was here! The Warden got up and grabbed his gun. His eyes narrowed and darting around.

"What is going on?" he asked, grabbing hold of me, his Glock pointed at my cheek. I didn't answer, I did not need to. Takarada was coming for him. The sound of a thousand rockets pierced the evening gloom, smashing the metal gate to pieces. On the other side was Takarada, arms crossed.

"ALRIGHT! Hand over Nui an' the prisoners!" he announced. The Warden cocked his gun, thrusting me outward.

"One more blast and her brains will be all over the floor!" he yelled.

Takarada smirked, "Nui!" he called. I knew what he was gonna do. I smirked and slammed my head into the Warden's nose, he just barely dodged and I rebounded. The Warden's handsome face was twisted into a mask of rage and betrayal. I landed near Takarada, and he pulled me into a hug.

"Hey there, Ni..." he sighed, squeezing me tightly. It felt so good to be with someone familiar again. Even if he was an asshole. His smile was genuine, and his grille was gone? He was all cleaned up. He was in his regalia suit, his eyes focused on The Warden, who started to glow a bright white, his Glock becoming a sniper rifle.

A hail of bullets rained down at us and Takarada fired back. We were behind some cover, and he looked so... noble. He wore his glasses on his face rather than perched down too far on his nose, just enough to stay on. His gold-plated revolver stayed slack in his hand.

"What's with the new look?" I asked.

"Gotta look good for ya, Nui!" he answered, grabbing my hands and shoving himself into my personal space, he smiled and pecked me on the lips.

"What?" I breathed.

"Alright! What're we here for, boys?!" he yelled.

"To spear the snake and dash those who oppose us to the ground with the iron rod!" A flood of voices answered.

"What do ya hold in your right hand?" he asked them, the Warden stopped firing, seeing a whole bunch of barbers around us. They seemed to come through the gate, with razors and everything blazing. The guards all came out of the woodwork in Goku Uniforms, all of them ready to defend their boss.

"A razor to cut the darkness!" they answered.

"An' in yer left?!" he thundered.

"A mirror to shave by!" they roared.

"SO! LESSGO! BARBERSHOPPE: ATTACK!" he commanded, and the barbers started to fight the guards, with the chaos still raging around me, I ran to the cell blocks, seeing Dagda and The Thames leading them out. Barbershoppe was the distraction to get everybody out of the way of the assault on the Warden's little personal concentration camp.

"Dagda?! The Thames?!" I gasped.

"Flicka! Thank goodness you are still alive!" Dagda gasped, almost barreling me over with a huge hug. I laughed and the Thames handed me a familiar blade. It was my sword, an odachi that I took with me to Osaka. Not realizing that I'd be thrown into Asphodel. I unsheathed it and I saw something whiz past my head, nicking my cheek. There he was, the Warden stood tall, proud, with his eyes showing what he was like underneath.

"You... are... mine! Mine!" He yelled, bringing the rifle up and I parried a bullet, sending it careening into the tarmac. My eyes were narrowed as my hair billowed in the stiff, hot wind of the bombed-out prison. The Warden's gun was still smoking from the shot, and I started forwards, intent on killing him. My hatred bubbled forth, and the Warden continued to fire, the bullets whizzing by me, I didn't notice them all rounding back.

Kaneo bashed me out of the way, his shell armor taking the bullets, they drilled into his armor. He stood, gritting his teeth. His rage was felt as his arms were around me.

"I won't letcha... ever... touch her! Kill them all, boys! Let God sort 'em out!" he screamed, sending his legs out to stab into the Warden, they succeeded, with Kaneo's green eyes pinpricks. He raised the Warden, blood flooding from the man's body and his rifle dropped to the ground. Kaneo started to cackle. The Warden was dying and I didn't feel anything.

Not even satisfaction.

* * *

Rei Hoomaru was in a hurry. She had to warn Lady Ragyo that Sites A through Z were all going into warzones with Barbershoppe and Nudist Beach at the same time attacking in tandem. The reports were messy, jumbled, confused. Some said that Kaneo Takarada was the leader, some said that Kazuma Kaguya had gone renegade and killed Satsuki in her bed, and some even wilder reports assumed that Flavia Kaguya and Goro Kaguya both were behind the attacks.

She had no time for tact, no time for lackadaisically moving. She knew that the other two were bogus, but the first one held water. She hurriedly knocked on the door to her lady's office, she needed to tell her that this was what they feared all along. People were waking up and actively ditching their clothing, burning it in America, Russia, the UK, Sweden, all shouting the names of the prisoners of Site A.

All of them were singing the praises of Nui Kaguya for opening their eyes due to her kindness. All of them for Zeale. All of them for Dagda and The Thames. The Prisoners of Site A were leading the world into an uprising. Yet, when Rei was bidden entry, she saw her boss sitting serenely, watching Hell on the screens unfold. Ragyo had unleashed the COVERS in their perfected forms. Someone was in her arms, laying there, his pale skin and golden eyes identified him as Goro Kaguya.

* * *

I enjoyed the carnage, seeing those idiots fall, but... Goro seemed to seethe with rage. He wasn't just Shinra Koketsu, but he was also Goro Kaguya given a second chance at life. I held him tightly, never once letting him go. He was part of me now.

"Why...? Why are you destroying the world?" he asked.

"These people will be an example, darling... and your precious little daughter and your dashing son..." I sighed, kissing him on the neck, feeling the Life Fibers brush against them. He clenched me harshly, his eyes narrowed.

"What about your daughter? Are you going to kill her, too?" he asked.

I smiled, making Goro tighten around me, he was a perfect chimera of Life Fibers and clothing. The tests done on him were extraordinary, and we watched the world burn down on the screens. America and Russia were the first to rebel, making it harder for my forces and the COVERS to attack.

"So that's it, huh? You were just using everyone? Not just me, but Flavia and your husband? He loved you more than anything! I remember it, all of it. Helping him confess, helping him through the doldrums that he weathered... all because he loved you, you threw him away, made him expendable. REVOCS wouldn't exist without my wife and me. We were the ones who started this company..." Goro sighed, making me still smile. He was trying to appeal to my dead humanity.

"All four of us started this. Our children are suffering because of it, chiefly my son and your daughter. The sins we made are now on your shoulders. You took my son and broke him... you took your daughter and broke her... you... you forced my wife to make a decision..." he told me a falsehood.

"No, I don't think so. Your wife made the decision herself. We made an arrangement," I revealed.

Goro was shocked, "What? No, Flavia would never-" I cut him off.

"She would and she did, she sacrificed your son for the life of your daughter. I fully intended to make him a powerful warrior. Yet... it wasn't meant to be. Now he's just a broken little boy, wearing a broken crown," I sighed, Kazuma was stronger than I initially thought. The Primordial Life Fiber needed him to finally end the Gray Fibers.

When I fought him all those days ago, he had me on the defensive! He was relentless, never holding back and never giving up no matter how many times I had wounded him. He'd rebound all the same. I watched the destruction play on the screens, letting the COVERS feast on the entrails of the fools who dared to oppose me.

Just three more days and blissful silence will conquer. My rage boiled underneath my skin, sending waves of bliss into my body. Oh yes, everything will be silent, everything will be silent forevermore...

* * *

Satsuki and I clashed, our swords sparking and our Kamuis in their Shizui and Ryuken forms respectively. Her white hair billowed wildly in the hot wind, her blue eyes narrowed. I still held back, Kibonochi billowing behind me and my swords sparking gold and molten. I never wanted to hurt her.

"Don't you dare hold back, Kazuma!" she yelled.

_**You're holding back, Kaz... **_

"I don't want to hurt her, Kibo!" I objected.

_**Kazuma! War isn't fair. War isn't a game! Do you think that she'll hold back just because you share a bed? No! So I'll unrestrain us!**_

Kibonochi Ryuken's restraining bands broke and I felt true power blaze forth like a consuming inferno. Large wings tore their way out of my back, I felt so much rage, so much power! A frenetic chorus of burning fire flowed out of me. I was compared to a fiery spirit of vengeance by many of the people I used to terrorize as Ragyo's hitman.

I charged, clashing anew, Satsuki smiled and I grinned widely, finally feeling like I could be me. Finally feeling like what we were doing was right. Going to war in three days was going to be tough, going to war and possibly dying never scared me. I wanted to die. I wanted to leave and run. Yet, Doctor Renfrow's words came back. I couldn't get anything done by running.

We traded blows, our blades singing songs of challenge, of determination and hope, I blasted back, my wings carrying me aloft, they became metallic and bladed, I used them to attack as well as defend. My body was acting independently, twisting and turning, parrying and blocking Satsuki's onslaught of hits. My wings buffeted her and slashed at her, stabbing too.

She danced with me, her spear slashing and parrying my swords back, I backflipped, my Kamui was holding up well. I flew around her, slashing and diving, hitting her and going back into the air once more. Satsuki was land-locked. Yet, her Kamui started to steam, I was steaming as well, we both clashed harshly in a burst of heavy steam.

I felt something soft on my face, and Satsuki's arms were wrapped around me, squeezing tightly.

"I win," she said.

"What?! No! It's a draw!" I huffed.

"Aw... are you being a sore loser?" she teased.

"Agh! Uh... no!" I stammered, realizing that I landed on her chest and barreled us back against the far wall. She was smiling, heavily breathing because of Kamui Exhaustion. She looked so roughed up, but Kibonochi was ragged, threadbare. So was Junketsu, torn up and ragged, barely hanging on, she was smiling. She always did after one of our sparring sessions.

"You always were the one who'd beg me and Ragyo for more rounds if you lost a game..." she reminisced. I could barely remember a time where I loved to play a game with Ragyo, only ones with Satsuki. I smirked and got up, helping her up myself.

"That was intense... nhn... you almost got me there!" she said, before wincing.

"Ah! Oh shit! Did I- Oh no... I hurt you!" I gasped, seeing some red blooming on her side. I quickly bit my finger, seeing the Gray Fibers come out and curiously touch her wound, she looked down at them, then back up at me. She seemed to be fascinated by my concern about her wound. My Fibers were quickly stitching up the gash, returning the blood to her body. A pad appeared to keep the wound untouched. I knelt and pressed a kiss to the pad.

"All better, yeah?" I teased, winking. Or blinking. Or was it winking? She kissed me on the forehead. I blushed and averted my eye.

"Silly... you're so silly!" she chided, bumping me gently.

"Aw, c'mon, Satsy! Just don't..."

Bree! Breeee!* my burner phone pinged, and I answered it.

"Talk to me!" I demanded.

_"Kazuma! Osaka has Fallen! I repeat Osaka has-"_

I dropped the burner, Inumuta's voice was tinny and panicked. Everything slowed down, everything seemed to be in molasses. Satsuki was talking rapid-fire to Inumuta, an 'Osaka has Fallen' meant that Ragyo did a field test on the COVERS. Version 2.0, not the versions we fought with the Missing Forty inside them. Barber and my mother were MIA. We had three days left, yet...

She wanted to make an example. America was a crater, Russia an even bigger frozen wasteland. Britain became a dusty desert. Ragyo makes examples of people and places. Now? It was now or never, the Grand Festival would be the final experiment. Yet, my eye closed, and I realized something... I was no hero. Not to anyone but myself, lying to myself just to feel better. Excusing all of the deaths as little more than stepping stones. All I did was run away while I fought for so little in the end.

Nui was a better hero, her plan went off without a hitch. All of the blood on my hands was for nothing. I wasn't out for revenge like Matoi or Satsuki. I wasn't doing this for some lofty goal that was beyond even my understanding. I was just doing what I do best... running away like hell was on my heels. Running away from my trauma, running away from the woman that caused it and into her daughter's arms...

I was a coward. A fool of a king. Thinking that I could wear the same crown as my mother and father. Thinking that I could bear the same weight. If I could, they'd still be alive. My mother as I knew her was dead, my father was dead. All I have is my little sister Nui. Yet, Satsuki. That perfect angel, that woman I love more than anything...

She still stayed. Why? Why did she stay? She grabbed my hand and squeezed it gently. I felt all the stress, all of those nights lying awake and jumping at every tiny sound, all of those nights I... I wasn't worthy. I wasn't worthy of her. Regardless if I had the determination and drive... she was too pure. Too good for me. I was already dead. Already dead yet still living because I wanted to.

It all crashed in on me. I started to sob, my eye being stung with tears. Everything was crashing through my mind. I wanted to do something right. I wanted to save everyone. I wanted to be that hero... Yet all I was... was a coward. Satsuki immediately drew me into her arms, holding me and kissing my forehead.

"I don't deserve you..." I sighed, trying to pull away, but she held fast. Her blue eyes narrowed, her hands drying my tears.

"Kazuma Kaguya, you listen to me... I don't care if you deserve me or not. Can't you see that you're ALIVE? You're alive, Kazzy. You're alive because something is left undone," she tried to calm me down.

"Don't you get it?! I'm only alive because your mother is a goddamn creep! She tore my family apart! Ragyo went unpunished... Ragyo whored her way to the top and used me... fucked me into submission because she wanted the perfect ubermensch to carry out her goals... Do you know how many times I wanted to die? Only to realize that I was your only friend?" I asked, tears still streaming down my face.

"Don't answer that. In three more days I'm gonna have to face the single most deeply rooted demon in my life. This is my fight. Not yours," I determined, Satsuki looked angry, grabbing my shoulders, her blue eyes aflame. She pushed me away, drawing her hand up and sending it smashing into my face. I felt it hit and she glared down at me.

"Don't you dare try to take her on alone. I'll follow you into hell, I'll save you time and time again. Don't you see that I love you? Don't you see that you're worthy?" she pleaded.

"You're so much more than worthy... I expect you to bring the hero I know you are to the battlefield. Never again will I hear you say you're unworthy. The future is not written, it never is... I know you have the courage. I see it in your eye. I see it every time I wake up. You face the darkest days with a smile. You wear Kibonochi with pride, you never hold back and I see that... So what if you fail? So what if you feel as if any moment you might die?" she asked, kissing me fiercely.

"It won't change the fact that you're mine..." she whispered, the pad over her wound fell off, and there was a small white scar there. I smiled. We had to gather the others.

To say that the air in the main office was tense was an understatement. Nui and Takarada arrived with battle scars aplenty, with her supporting him on her shoulder, he looked up at us and gave us a smirk. Uzu was waiting with a smile and a pat on the back for me. Ira nodded at me tersely, Nonon and Inumuta, even if I didn't know them as well as Satsuki did, they nodded at me.

I stood tall, locking eyes with Satsuki, who gave me a warm smile. I wanted to see more and more. One worth dying for. I shut my eye, finding the words I wanted to say.

"In three days, we're going to fight impossible odds. We all know the atrocities Ragyo has committed against us, we of humanity that still shun the Fibers... I won't accept just rolling over and dying! I've come so far, I'm so close to what I want... I want... I want a world where people remember that day, that day where we make our stand and say, 'We won't be silenced! We will be heard! We will stand against the darkness and annihilate it! Dragons, Snakes, Toads, and Monkeys... Crabs and Courtiers, Scissor Wielders... All of us! WE WILL BE HEARD!' So stand up! So stand up and drink! Shatter your cups! In three days, we may die... but our sacrifices will never be in vain!" I yelled. We all toasted, but I didn't drink mine.

There would be time for that later. Soroi seemed to beam in pride, but he put his hand on my shoulder.

"Lord Kazuma, a word if you'd please," he said.

"Hm? What is it?" I asked. He bid me follow him and I did, he took me to a certain file cabinet in Satsuki's office, opening one drawer and thumbing through the files. He found one and opened it, exposing a small album marked with, 'The Kaguya Family' in gold lettering on its singed and weather-beaten surface.

I took it gingerly in my shaking hands. Seeing the gold letters and smelling the familiar scent of my father's cologne and deodorant made my eye start to tear up, I opened it and saw the family tree, with two chiefly famous conquerors on my father's side. Odo Nobunaga and Genghis Khan were both present in my bloodline, battle and strategy were in my veins.

My mother's side contained more living fast conquerors like Alexander the Great and the philosopher generals like Sun Tzu. (both distantly related.) It answered why Ragyo wanted me. I was the perfect soldier. No wonder why I thought a mile a minute. Thinking about everything like a general would. Why I could take on any challenger and end them in minutes.

"Lady Satsuki recovered that from the ruins of your home, Lord Kazuma, she intended that to be given to you upon our victory, but she saw fit to give it to you now," Soroi explained, I noticed that new space on the tree by my name was filled. Satsuki's name was there, connected to mine. I smiled, flipping to the other pages, seeing my father standing proudly, with me perched on his shoulders and baby Nui in a papoose on his chest.

'The last photo Mom took of us... before all of this started...' I thought sadly. Flipping to another page, seeing my dad and me on the couch together, I remembered this one. He was telling me the story that was chronicled on my back in beautiful color.

_Son, the Koi becomes a dragon!_

_What?! No way, Dad!_

_Yes, he does, do ya know why?_

_Why?_

_Because he never gave up!_

I felt my chest constrict, and I could feel my dad's love around me. I could feel his arms squeezing me tightly, wishing that I could hear him say how proud he was of me. Of the man I became. Of the man, I'll try to be. I'll never be half of the man he was.

_**I'm proud of you, Kazuma.**_

I opened my eye, looking down at Kibonochi, his wizened red and gold eyes looked up at me. I remembered his voice, that warm, lazy drawl... It sounded like Dad was always smiling. Then his anger would flare, becoming a low growl.

_**You thought I'd leave ya behind, huh? No, I never did, kiddo. I've always been here.**_

"Kibonochi? You're my..." I mumbled.

_**Well, part of him. Soichiro and Goro made Junketsu and I sound like them. So that they'd always be with you two through us. Goro is Shinra Koketsu, but that doesn't mean he wants to hurt you or Nui... I think- I think he doesn't.**_

* * *

The day of reckoning arrived with a storm of people flooding into the stadium, I knelt high above them all, on one of the lights. There was no way I would show myself to Ragyo before we got started. I wore Kibonochi proudly, fixed from the other day. I smiled down at him, feeling the cool breeze. Today might be my final day of life, but...

I lived a good one.

_**Kazuma. You're so calm.**_

"Yeah, I've been waiting for this for years... finally, the day where I get to live as Kazuma Kaguya... and to die as him is going to be the sweetest reward. Satsuki and the others are waiting in the wings... it's time to face my fate," I decided. I saw the light of Satsuki shine outwards, piercing the light I cast with warmth and good intent, not like the scalding rays of Ragyo's light.

The wind picked up, and I saw the REVOCS helicopter crest the horizon, seeing that... that WOMAN... I clenched my sword hilts, keeping a close eye on where Nui Harime would end up coming in. There was no way Ragyo wouldn't come without some form of backup. She turned her arrival into one big show, and I grit my teeth. I couldn't do anything as everyone on the ground and in the stands was wrapped up in Life Fiber cocoons.

It's her or me. I've come so far and seen so much of what she does. She tore my family apart. She killed my father and turned him into her Kamui. Then, over the wall came Matoi, Mikisugi, Kinagase, and Mankanshoku on what Takarada told me was a Dotonbori Robo. I tensed, my time was coming...

"Your little party is over, Satsuki Kiryuin! Let everybody go or else!" Matoi yelled, pointing her scissor blade at her and Ragyo, who was monologuing about how blissful this macabre experiment was. I seethed. She was giving scientists like Soichiro the finger! Kibonochi billowed as I readied myself to lunge at her.

**_Kiddo, don't... remember the plan..._**

I still was at the ready. The plan was to wait until Satsuki revealed her revolt against the Life Fibers and Ragyo herself, then I come screaming from on high because I knew it'd take more than just a crucifixion to take her out.

"Well well, you must be Ryuko Matoi, and that must be Senketsu, one of the three products of Isshin Matoi and Goro Kaguya's experiments on Life Fibers and Gray Fibers... how cute," Ragyo chuckled, I just felt something snap in my mind, rage thundered through my mind and heart. My father sacrificed himself to have me live... did she know that I was nearby and that was just an attempt to coax me out?

I held fast, however. I had to wait. That was my duty.

"Bite me! You're exactly like your daughter, a big shot with a big mouth!" Ryuko snarled viciously. I was tense, my hands white-knuckling my sword hilts at this point.

"How droll, I assume that you have no idea who you're talking to, I am Ragyo Kiryuin, head of the-" And cue Bakuzan through her chest. That sight of her eyes twisted into anger and her expression stuck into one of pain was so cathartic...

"The time for speeches is OVER!" Satsuki's voice thundered, forcing Bakuzan in deeper, a flood of blood rained out of Ragyo's mouth as Satsuki lifted her, her arms straining and she lobbed the woman onto the throne, effectively crucifying her. Blood gushed like a torrent from Ragyo, and I fought the urge to laugh.

"Are you trying to take the throne from me?" Ragyo snarled, her eyes glowing crimson. Satsuki drew herself up to her full height, blood coated the black blade of Bakuzan. Her blue eyes burning with fire. She was an avatar of rage and defiance.

"No! I'm not!" she declared.

The others appeared, with Ira and Uzu in their Sworn Brothers Regalia. That was the signal! I sped downward, my swords out and gleaming in the sunlight, my mouth fixed into a smirk, my golden eye shining. I landed next to Satsuki, pointing Koudashi and Koudari at Ragyo. Her eyes smoldered into my soul, but my eye stared straight into hers, finding nothing.

"Today, we'll prove that humanity doesn't need to be guided by a bunch of threads! We can carve our own paths! I'm done with running, I'm done with hiding!" I screamed, syncing up with Kibonochi, going straight for her.

"SO QUIT PLAYING AROUND, RAGYO KIRYUIN!" I roared, blasting forwards at top speed. My rage, my determination, all of it was out in a full display.

The final battle... is here!


	14. Episode 14: Broken Sword and Bent Knee

**[Episode 14: A Broken Sword and a Bent Knee.] **

**OP 4: This Is War by 30 Seconds to Mars.**

**Kazuma and Satsuki stand together against Ragyo, standing on a chessboard, pieces fall around them as they fight her, tears stream down Kazuma's face as good memories blaze into flame, burning away as he fights on, no matter how wounded he gets, he still walks by Satsuki's side, always there and always fighting. The end of the OP sees Kazuma finally standing before Ragyo...**

**And Satsuki appears by her side. Blinded by a blindfold and wielding the Dual Bakuzans. Kazuma clenches Koudari and Koudashi, Kibonochi Ryuken flaring to life as the logo is burned out.**

* * *

I clashed against Ragyo's prone body, tearing the throne free from its mooring. I stomped on her chest, driving my heel into the wound and aggravating it relentlessly. She coughed up even more blood, and I smiled. Finally, I can kill her. Finally, I can sleep at night. Finally... I could freely love Satsuki.

"Why?" she coughed, looking up at me. My rage bubbled up, my eye narrowed.

"Why? Why? I'll tell you why!" I snarled, leaning down.

"You took everything from me," I whispered. Ragyo was playing with us, acting like she was subdued. All I wanted was to make her suffer for what she did to me and Satsuki. All those years living in a cold illusion, all those years smothered in her arms, chained and biting. I was slowly stitching my heart back onto my sleeve. I was grinding my heel into the woman who ruined my life.

She then smiled, "Do you regret anything?" she snarled. I rounded back, seeing her pluck herself off the impromptu cross. Uzu and Ira appeared in front of me, Ira looked back over his shoulder and nodded. I returned it.

"I'll make you all regret trying to ruin my perfect world!" she screamed, wiping the blood from her face, the Life Fibers healing her. Ira grabbed her from behind, suplexing her and then bashing her around, he tossed her to Uzu, who activated his Wukong Regalia. Ira didn't need to activate his yet. He said he was going to save it for later on in the battle.

"MEN!" Uzu thundered, clashing with Ragyo, his sword cleaving through her guard, but she bashed him down, not noticing me blast towards her, I went into a flying leap, my swords blazing bright.

"DOU!" I yelled, slashing her arms, seeing plumes of blood shoot out of the stumps. I rebounded, trying to keep away from her. Ragyo then saw Satsuki speeding at her with anger in her eyes. Ragyo deftly dodged Satsuki's attack, she was still playing with us.

Uzu hit her in the back, "KOTE!" he snarled. Ragyo responded by regrowing her arms and smiling.

"Well, I suppose it's my turn..." she cooed at us, Satsuki and I charged, our blades outstretched.

"Your first mistake was bringing your Kamuis into this fight!" she yelled, blocking our blades and smiling like she won the lottery. I pushed hard against her clash, but Kibonochi was... sweating? Can Kamuis sweat?

_**Kid, back up! Back up right now! She's gonna-**_

She bashed me down to the ground, sending me grinding into the dirt. The wind was knocked out of me. Satsuki was currently getting bashed to high hell. I drew myself up slowly.

"The only thing worse than a badly-wielded Kamui is the fool that dons it!" I heard her roar, seeing Satsuki getting beat up, she tried to rebound, but Ragyo was relentless. I stood, my eye-burning bright with the power I needed to end her. My Gray Fibers summoned up from my right arm, and I dashed forwards, going fast enough to leave an afterimage.

I intentionally left it out in the open between her and Satsuki, and of course, she took the bait. Ragyo went in for the kill, and the image vanished. She looked shocked as I appeared above her, my swords raised on high. Kibonochi was a fast Kamui, and I preferred to overwhelm my opponents with my speed and power, rather than tanking hits.

"TAKE THIS!" I yelled, slashing straight through her neck, sending her head flying. My fibers grabbed hold of it and spiked it to the ground, grinding it in and throwing it far from the body. The body bashed me in the face, sending me skidding backward, signaling Uzu to wade in.

"This is bullshit!" he yelled, batting the body back, his sword blazing. I nodded and joined him in his assault. What we didn't notice was that Hoomaru was running with Ragyo's head in her arms like a football. If there were commentators, this would be a full-blown sporting event. Ira was nowhere to be found until...

He barreled into Hoomaru with a huge steamroller, his regalia made him look like an extremely ripped bodybuilder mixed with Dio, "USELESS! USELESS! USELESS!" He roared, bashing the steamroller's front wheel with sheer fury. Hoomaru threw the head my way and I caught it. I spiked it like a volleyball towards Uzu, but the body was faster.

It caught her head and reattached it. Ragyo grinned over me, I was still trying to get up, trying to catch my breath. She sent her fist rocketing across my face, faking me out. I backflipped and tried to dodge all of the hits, but she was faster. Her fibers clashed with mine, burning and twisting through the air. I felt my swords against her skin, my eye narrowed in sheer rage. I continued to slash, my blades agents of vengeance.

Satsuki got her from behind, and I noticed a red and black blur and a pink blur behind us, an odd mauve blur joined in and a hail of gourd rockets hit Satsuki and I away from Ragyo, pounding her to the dust. Takarada dusted his suit off.

"I hope we ain't too late!" he called. Ragyo was still standing, her dress torn and her eyes wild. My little sister stopped fighting for a few seconds, smiling at me.

"Big bro! We brought reinforcements!" she called cheerily. I then saw my mother come in, her hands holding a sword, her body covered in samurai-like armor. The blade was burning gold, with hooks on either side, her blue eyes narrowed. Her hair billowed behind her in a long ponytail. She glared at Ragyo.

"Look at you, the queen brought to a standstill by her daughter and my son... I only feel pity for you... yet my blade won't!" she snarled, stepping up to my side.

"Mom," I greeted.

"Kazuma, I know we haven't seen eye to eye before... but I hope today I can help mend our relationship," she said. I put my hand on her shoulder, squeezing it tightly.

"I... I'm glad you're here..." I admitted, seeing Ragyo rise, her fibers pooling around herself. Her eyes staring at the slowly reddening skies above us. Her arms spread wide.

"You... filthy animals! You trifling people who dare think that your world is perfect! Look around you! This Academy is the perfect microcosm of society! And I, Ragyo Kiryuin, am the righteous punishment of God! Why else did the Life Fibers come forth? Why else did they choose me to enact their will?! Why do you stand in the way of the natural ways of the world? I am the one to cleanse the Earth of your filth and destroy it!" She declared, pounding her fist to her chest, eyes wide and mouth downcurved into a snarl.

I ran at her, not even thinking, Ryuken activated around me, and Mom and I clashed with her, our blades sparking against two long white ones she summoned, two other arms shot out of her shoulders, dealing with Satsuki and Ryuko. The two Nuis and the Elites fought. With Harime distracted, Takarada and Mikisugi fought Hoomaru.

"I am the light in the dark! I am the beginning and the end! I am EVERYTHING!" Ragyo ranted, breaking the clash and sending us back aside from me and Satsuki, who had activated Junketsu Shizui. Some COVERS slammed down to deal with my Mom and sister.

"Satsuki!" I called.

"Yes!" she agreed. We burst into twin flames, one azure, and the other gold. We slashed and stabbed, keeping her busy. Kibonochi Ryuken started to burn, my blades went at full tilt. My life was on the line. Mom and Nui slashed through their COVER squads, with Takarada's men taking the victims somewhere safe. I focused on my fight with Ragyo, who had knocked Ryuko into the skies.

Kibonochi billowed around me, torn and threadbare, burning golden with my blades spread out. I didn't charge, rather, I waited. I was stalling for time. This was it, my final gambit. There was no way I could win on my own. But I burst into my full power with tears streaming down my face. I was done with being beaten down! I was done with holding back!

I clashed harshly with Ragyo, her eyes wide and crazy, my strength capped out. I pushed against her viciously, trying to kill her before she gets to Satsuki. I didn't get the chance to give Satsuki what she deserved... A good life. A good man to support her from the sidelines... I felt renewed strength invigorate me. *KA-TANG!* I broke the clash, speeding past Ragyo, our blades clipping each other. All I felt was the soft wind... felt the pain slowly set in my right arm.

Then, I felt it go numb, sliding to my knees, seeing my arm fall off in slow motion. Everything went slow as I let out a howl in agony. The world shattered and all I heard was Ragyo's pealing laughter, her whole body shook with mirth and she stalked over to my arm, picking it up. Koudashi was covered in my blood and I shut my eye. I felt Ragyo's blade at my neck.

"At least die looking at your mother, Kazuma," she chided, not realizing that my actual mother was nearby and heard that.

"GET AWAY FROM MY SON YOU BITCH!" I heard her roar, her blade shattered Ragyo's blades and sent me tumbling. I saw my mother attacking Ragyo and... holy shit! She's... WINNING?!

"YOU TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME! MY SON! MY HOME! MY HUSBAND!" Mom screamed, slashing Ragyo to pieces long enough for me to... get feeling back in my right arm? What? I looked down, and during my spectating of my mom handing Ragyo her Botox-laden ass on a silver platter, I got a new arm. This one looked like a black sleeve with gray inner lines.

Mom and Ragyo clashed blades, the sparks thrown from the blades boiled the ground and sent a ton of debris shooting out. I landed harshly alongside Satsuki and Ryuko, Satsuki was standing, barely even standing. She waded in, her eyes narrowed, bringing Bakuzan over her head, her anger boiling. With a scream, she brought it down, seeing it shatter.

"Fool..." Ragyo gasped, bashing Satsuki back, Junketsu unsyncing and Ryuko took her place, but didn't see Ragyo speed by her, her swords raised, about to bring them down on me.

"KAZUMA!" Mom thundered, getting in the way and taking the slashes for me. She stood, her blue eyes staring into Ragyo's crimson.

"That's... the difference between us... you... never... loved your children enough to sacrifice yourself... for them," she gurgled, turning to me and falling into my arms, looking up at me.

"Mom?" I mewed.

"Son, don't cry for me... I am as sinful as Ragyo... I gave you to her to save myself and your sister. Your father knew... and I never lived it down, now that I've confessed my sins... know that I... I love you, Kazuma," she groaned, touching my cheek and chuckling.

"To think that my daughter in law would be a Kiryuin... maybe your father was right..." And she died. Ragyo was cackling. Rage bubbled up, 'Mom, even if we didn't get along... I wish we did...' I thought, staring up at Ragyo, my new arm clenched into a fist.

"So falls Flavia Kaguya, the woman who gave away her son! The woman who abandoned him! Now, what will you do, sweet dragon? What is your daring plan?!" she mocked. All I felt was rage, I stood tall, taking up my mother's blade, one last defiance. One last strike. my hands shook, my breath came out fast. All I felt was rage, but also sadness.

Mom died for me. Dad died for me. Who else would die for me? This monster... this... demon... WOULD DIE TODAY! I felt Ryuken activate, my eye closed, and suddenly, I felt calm. I felt... love. Mom's blade blazed to life in my hands. One last strike, one last strike with the sword that didn't belong in my hands, but did at the same time.

I sped forth, Nui by my side, her eyes blazing with anger. We didn't clash, we relentlessly struck, shattering Ragyo's defenses and tearing her a new one, we both were enraged, My strands stabbing and tossing her around. Nui dodged Ragyo's hits, juggling her into my range and I was at my peak of power.

_**"KID! Stop! I'm gonna burn!"**_

I started to heat up, I was too angry to listen. She was mocking me, she was teasing me. I hated her. I hated her with my whole being. Ragyo ruined my whole life, she ruined my life. She ruined so much and never cherished a single thing. My rage boiled along with everywhere around me. They felt my rage, they felt everything.

My sword burned and I charged at top speed, grabbing her neck with my new arm, squeezing. Brutally slashing upwards, I cleaved her chest into ribbons. Drawing my fist back, my fibers charged and ready for a heavy blow. I didn't know how much force a hit from a Gray Fiber limb could do.

"IT'S... OVER!" I roared, sending my fist smashing into her chest wound, seeing my fibers burn through, I smiled, drawing them back and leaving a hole in her. I felt my power ebb away and fell to my knees, crawling over to Satsuki, who was in her undergarments, I took Kibonochi off and spread him over her. I closed my eye and wrapped my arms around her.

"Sir!" Ira called.

I didn't want to leave her, but her eyes, full of sadness and fear... told me a different story. Her lips smashed into mine, my hands felt her long black tresses and I didn't want to let go. Satsuki pulled away, her lips smiling, and her eyes locked on mine. She pushed the remains of Junketsu into my hands.

"Run," she whispered, touching my forehead with hers.

"Run, Kazuma. Run like hell... my love..." she pleaded, tears in her eyes. I held her.

"Not without you, Satsy..." I sighed. Ragyo staggered towards us, that still murderous smile etched on her face. I kissed Satsuki passionately and took both Kamuis with me. Ragyo tried to attack, but my Fibers restrained her. I ran, looking back to see a detonator in Satsuki's hand. Ira yanked me onto the helicopter, with everyone else who survived on there.

Ragyo let us escape. Nui sobbed, Ira knelt and closed his eyes, Uzu had been fighting to the very end, trying to get to Satsuki before me. Nonon was focused on flying us. But Ryuko was the most wrecked other than me. She seemed so shell-shocked.

"There's... no way. No way we can beat her..." she muttered. Senketsu was torn up just like Kibonochi and Junketsu. I sat down next to her, my eye closed.

"I... I wasn't... strong enough..." I mumbled, my eye focused on the Academy, which exploded just as we got far enough away to be safe. I felt hot tears sting my eyes, seeing the inferno. I lost her. I lost her. I lost her. Her pale skin, once so warm, now blackened. Her long hair, now charred short. Her beautiful starlight eyes now gone. I died with her. The old me died with her. The one that ran.

"If only... I was strong enough... she'd be here. She'd be by your side... Ryuko..." I sighed.

"Why is she so important?!" Ryuko snapped.

"Because she's your sister!" I yelled, slamming my black fist against the wall, denting it.

"That... that thing... is your mother. I knew and I couldn't tell you because I knew you'd never believe me, now we're in the same boat!" I continued, grabbing her shoulders.

"We're both monsters, Ryuko. Monsters of Life Fibers and Gray Fibers, you're part two of Project Threadbare..." I sighed. She still didn't believe me, fine. Fine. She'll come to terms on her own. Soroi had a long list of people that died in the attack. Or became a COVER. Or became missing in the bedlam.

"Mako Mankanshoku: COVER. Tsumugu Kinagase: COVER. Dodger James Thames: COVER. Dagda Andersson: Missing. Flavia 'Thunderbrand' Kaguya: Dead. Deter Zealelander: Missing. Satsuki... Satsuki..." Soroi couldn't bring himself to read her name, no one could. Except for me.

"Satsuki Kiryuin... Dead," I said, tears streaming down my face, I wanted to tear the list apart and tell them all to shut up. To not cry, but I did. I cried for more than just Satsuki. I cried for everyone. I shut down, hugging Nui tightly, and she was sobbing next to Kaneo, who was comforting her. We looked up at each other and everyone just let go of their hurt.

If only we were stronger... nobody would be dead. No one would be missing. No one would be a COVER. Yet, that's the price we pay for the war. I felt Satsuki still holding me, pleading with me to run with tears flooding her eyes. Why was she crying? Did she know that she was going to die? Or... maybe it was because she knew Ragyo was going to never stop until one of us was in her clutches? Hell if I know...

All I knew was that she was going to pay. Ragyo wouldn't die quickly. She'd die slowly, seeing my smile, as I end myself to join Satsuki. So we could finally have a happy ending...

Nui pulled away, "What about Mommy?" she asked.

"What about her?" I asked, closing my eye, I barely knew her as Nui did. She gawked at me.

"She was your Mommy too!" she objected.

"So?" I growled. Nui's eyes narrowed.

"So?! So?! Kazuma, you-" I cut her off, enraged. She didn't understand, she could never understand what it was like to act as the handsome and dutiful son.

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! SATSUKI WAS EVERYTHING TO ME!" I screamed, clenching my hands into fists. Now that she was gone...? I didn't know what I'd do...

"Mommy compared me to you all the time! Kazuma this, Kazuma that! Kazuma will bring balance! Kazuma will change the damn world! Well, you know what? You're nothing without that Kamui! You're nothing without other people... You're... You're like..." she clenched her hands into fists, gritting her teeth.

I rose, towering over her, making Kaneo pull his gun.

"Now now, let's all just calm down..." Soroi cautioned Kaneo glared at me.

"Go on, take the shot... or tell me who I'm like..." I growled, resting my hand on Koudashi's hilt. My Gray Fiber hand twitching. The air in the copter was tense. My eye closed.

"You're like Ragyo," Nui stated. That's it. I broke, I grabbed Nui by the neck, my Gray Fibers poised to attack. My voice low, growling.

"I... am... not... Ragyo..." I whispered.

"I'm not like her. I never was..." I muttered.

I dropped Nui, sinking into a chair and sobbing. Like a wounded animal I sobbed. I was broken, shattered like glass. I wanted to go back, I wanted to sift through the wreckage and maybe find her body, and cradle it one last time. Kiss those dead lips and apologize. It was my fault. If I just played along...

Satsuki would be alive. I would be dead, but... she'd be sitting here now. Would she cry?

* * *

All it took was one push of a button. All it took was the woman I loved. I laid alone, closing my eye and just letting go of more hurts, more pains that stung me. The world has changed, no more is it at peace. Ryuko went off to what was left of the UK to work off some steam. I now wander among the mountains in China, avoiding the world around me. I got up for another day of going nowhere.

I was wearing Kibonochi, tattered and ruined. His eye flaps looking up at me. I couldn't hear him anymore. My hair was longer, dirty and greasy. My eye slowly became washed-out with all the nightmares and sleepless nights. My arm clenched Koudari and Koudashi. On the other side were the remaining halves of Bakuzan still in their sheath.

I wandered, seeing so many haunted people ambling among the ruins of what once was cities and villages. Linfen was clean now. Beijing was bombed-out and still scarring over. Everything was paused. Roadways clogged with cars, being bowled over by the Mongols that decided to conquer again. I ignored them, brushing through the crowds, emptily listening to the babble of the merchants on either side of the dead motorways.

"So, you know the New UK, right?"

"Oh yeah, isn't it run by the Warboys?"

"Yes, seems like they got a new leader,"

I raised an eyebrow, maybe I'll have some new leads on where everybody ended up. Ever since the helicopter ride, I cut myself off from everyone, Nui and Kaneo were still together and Uzu and Ira went their separate ways. Soroi just made tea for the rebellion. I indulged him, and that smile... The Mankanshokus charged Ira with getting Mako and her little brother Mataro back.

"Yeah, it's one smokin' hot babe..."

"She wears one of those Kamui whatsits... like that Kazuma kid from a week ago,"

I avoided them then. REVOCS hired Hunter Killers to track me down, I couldn't stay in one place for too long. So I kept on moving. No friends, no place to lay my head. Just go, go, go. Keep running. Satsuki made me promise.

"Didja hear about that new Hunter Killer?"

"Yeah, they say her name is Glass... nobody knows what she looks like,"

"I heard she's one helluva beauty..."

"Yeah, a DEADLY beauty..."

A deadly beauty, huh? I wonder what kinda person this... Glass is.

"Excuse me," I said, placing my hand on the guy who started the conversation's shoulder.

"Huh?" he asked.

"Do you know more about Glass?" I asked.

He looked around, pulling me into an impromptu huddle, my Gray Fiber arm was still covered up. He smiled.

"Okay kid, here's what I know. They say she's silent. Only muttering the name of her target, thrusting the wanted poster out like she's a robot or somethin'... They also say that she can't see. But her hearin' is inhuman...in fact, she's always synced up with one of those Kamui things... you best be careful in the night, kid..." he warned, I noticed that the merchant had oddly blue hair and steel-gray eyes, it was Mr. Mikisugi!

"Mr. Aikuro?" I asked.

He clapped his hand over my mouth, "We can't talk here, follow me!" he urged, grabbing hold of my arm. He dragged me into an alley, his eyes darting around, his hand stroking his beard.

"Okay, here's what's concrete, Mr. Kaguya... the moment she popped up. We all lost our bases. Site A was the first to go belly-up, then Osaka. Hannouji is now a COVER-infested ghost town. Now Glass is hunting someone here down. It's not me. I have reason to believe it's you..." he described. I nodded.

"Well then, if any wimpy little Hunter Killer wants to get me, then they can try... I've been training a ton, I know how to deal with 'em..." I said, cracking my knuckles.

"Kazuma, this isn't your normal run-of-the-mill Hunter... this is elite-level stuff. You're one hell of a swordsman, but... Glass is inhuman. She's fast, unpredictable, and efficient. Takarada and Nui have both been MIA for three weeks now," he informed.

"So? She hasn't faced me, I'm pretty unpredictable..." I commented.

"Oh yeah? You've been following the same pattern for days now," he countered. 'Dammit, I was trying to be cool...' I thought. The night was approaching, and Mikisugi put his hand on my shoulder.

"Good luck, Kazuma..." he sighed.

I walked away, my coat billowing behind me, I only got a few miles down the highway when I heard something, like... high heels? I poised my hand over Koudari and Koudashi, ready to fight if need be. There's only one person other than Ragyo that wears heels that tall... Then...

I barely dodged a kick, "Fuck!" I yelled, dashing as fast as my legs could carry me, Kibonochi woke up and looked up at me.

_**"Kid, what did I miss? Are you okay?"**_

"I'm being attacked by the sound of high heels!" I yelled.

_**"Well, that's new!"**_

"Y'think?! I'm trying not to die!" I snapped.

_**"How long has it been since the stadium? You smell like hell!"**_

"Hygiene was not on my priority list!" I snapped back, skidding behind a van, silence falling in the night. Nothing, not even a sound. Except...

_Nothing's going to harm you, not while I'm around..._

I knew that line... I knew that line! That line... it... calmed me.

_**"Kid, red flag!"**_

_Nothing's going to harm you, no sir, not while I'm around..._

That voice... that... warm... soft... no... NO! It's not real! Glass must be using Satsuki's voice!

_**"KID, MOVE!"**_

I dodge rolled out of the cover of the van, and on bended knee... I saw her. Long. Black hair. Pale skin. Supple legs. Two blazing amber eyes on her shoulders, the fabric of her synced Kamui was gray. Her breasts jiggled a bit with every step, but that wasn't the problem. A red and black blindfold was over her eyes. Her lips were curled into a blissful smile as she produced a wanted poster with me on it.

Before I changed into the wanderer. There were scars roping around her legs and exposed skin. Yet she moved smoothly, sedately with a sweet little smile.

_Demons are prowling everywhere nowadays..._

She raised her blade, and I said one name. One name I never thought I'd say again.

"Satsuki?"


	15. Episode 15: The Fallen Glass Angel

**[Episode 15: The Fallen Glass Angel.] **

**OP 4: This Is War by 30 Seconds to Mars.**

**Kazuma and Satsuki stand together against Ragyo, standing on a chessboard, pieces fall around them as they fight her, tears stream down Kazuma's face as good memories blaze into flame, burning away as he fights on, no matter how wounded he gets, he still walks by Satsuki's side, always there and always fighting. The end of the OP sees Kazuma finally standing before Ragyo...**

**And Satsuki appears by her side. Blinded by a blindfold and wielding the Dual Bakuzans. Kazuma clenches Koudari and Koudashi, Kibonochi Ryuken flaring to life as the logo is burned out.**

* * *

She raised her blade, and I said one name. One name I never thought I'd say again.

"Satsuki?" I mewed.

She smiled widely, "Satsuki?" she echoed.

She brought her blade down, and I caught it with my Gray Fiber hand. This wasn't her. This couldn't be her... no way. There's no way she could've survived that explosion... Yet, here she was. Looming over me with a sweet, blissful smile. Her skin was more... doll-like than usual. I still tried to appeal to her humanity.

"Satsuki! This isn't you! Listen to me!" I demanded, pushing the blade back. She still smiled. I closed my eye.

"Fine then! I'll tear that blindfold off and make you see me!" I decided.

Satsuki, no, Glass, smiled still and stepped back, her blade pointing at me. She was still synced with Junketsu. Or what I thought was Junketsu. Until... she put her hand on the blindfold. I unsheathed Koudashi, readying myself for battle.

* * *

_"Come on, Satsuki... you think that kid can beat you? Baby, I know you're stronger than him, way stronger,"_

Yes, yes, this fool doesn't know me, but why is he so familiar? Why did I sing for him? Mother... gave me orders.

_"Yeah, and she's gonna be sad if we don't bring this kid's head back on a silver platter... c'mon Satsy... make me happy, make me proud..."_

Kazuma appeared around me, holding me, his golden eyes blazing sweetly into my soul, _"C'mon... don't make me sad. Otherwise, we won't have that house on the coast that you wanted... or a kid... that man is gonna tear all of it apart..."_

He touched my face, and I leaned into his touch. "Will he?" I asked.

_"So many questions, Satsy... leaves ya open for an attack..."_

I was jolted back into reality by a vicious slash of wind, I dodged the incoming white blade that my target wielded, well... one of them. Mother said that he wielded two and had a third in his possession. One that was in a pure, white sheath that he never unsheathed. He smelled desperate. He smelled scared. His Kamui was weakened. Yet, I still hesitated.

"Satsuki! This isn't you! Listen to me!" I heard. His voice! It sounded so similar to my... to my Kazuma...

_"Kill him! C'mon, we'll squash him like the bug he is! 'Dragon'? Hah! No way! He's no dragon! He's nothing!"_

Nothing... nothing...

_"Now you're getting it, baby! Just relax, think of it... think of it as a sparring match! But for keeps!"_

A sparring match... for keeps? More rushes of wind, more dodging, step step. I liked this game, I loved this game! My opponent dodged my stikes and I giggled. The rushes of air picked up in intensity. My target was fighting harder. Over, under, left, right. Over.

He was gone.

* * *

I ran away, putting some distance between Satsuki and me. 'Run away from your dreams, Kazuma! The woman of your dreams can't be trying to kill you!' I thought, hightailing it like hell was on my heels. I never thought that I would have to run from her. She chased me relentlessly, I still ran. Not only was she fast, but she seemed to be everywhere.

Serpentine, serpentine, SERPENTINE! Kibonochi was in no shape to sync with me, I was in no shape to keep up in straight combat with her. I was too sc- I mean, I was just tactically retreating! Yeah! **"Kid, you're running away 'cause you're scared,"**

"Gee, thanks for reminding me... just... stop doin' that!" I snarled, slowing down and gasping gently, catching my breath. I realized that I ran all the way out to the Border Plains between China and Mongolia. I still kept going, my swords still clenched in my hands, I sheathed them and took Bakuzan off my back, studying its sheath for anything.

Sometimes Satsuki left something hidden on her property, a sort of code, maybe even a message. It was mostly on unassuming objects so her dear mother wouldn't catch onto the scent. I studied the sheath closely, but... maybe the blade itself held some clue as to why she was so... odd. Maybe I was reading too much into it. Ragyo broke the blade for a reason...

Maybe because it was made to cut through Life Fibers? She did the same to Kouheisei, unintentionally giving me my pair of blades. We both came close to defeating her, yet now? The 'Rebellion' we cobbled together is now scattered. I don't think Satsuki becoming a blindfolded Hunter Killer constituted a good reason to bring everyone back together.

It was my problem. My fight to win. I just needed time to think. I found myself amidst the plains of Mongolia. I had to keep moving. If not for Satsuki, then who else? My angel, my light... the one prize that I wanted to take from Ragyo and run away with. My one question was... how? How did Ragyo break Satsuki? Satsuki's iron will is formidable.

Even I can't sway her sometimes... but... it was good to know that she was alive. Maybe I can find a way to bring her out of it? Maybe do some things that'd jog the old Satsuki's memory? I don't know where to start or what to do... I still remembered her words at the Stadium, she... she was crying. She knew. She knew what her mother was going to do to her.

Pleading with me to run was her way of saving me. There was many a night where I'd wake up in a cold sweat imagining what kind of hell Ragyo was dragging Satsuki down into. Believe me... I know what Ragyo does. She acts like your friend, your confidant, she knows everything that makes you tick. Your fears, your insecurities. Ragyo was one masterful manipulator.

_Oh Kazuma, don't resent me..._

I whirled, swords out. I looked around myself frantically. I couldn't be going crazy, right? At this point, I'm surprised that my head hasn't exploded... I shouldn't be surprised by Ragyo anymore, she played all her cards and I flipped the table. I survived. That's the thing with the Kaguya Family, we survive things that'd make other people physically and mentally ill.

Well, Nui and I survived, it seems we can't keep a lock on our parents... sorry Mom. I noticed some... Fibers...? Blowing in the wind.

_I'm only doing all of this to get revenge on life for being so cruel... you can understand that, can't you?_

I saw her. I saw Ragyo and braced myself. She was not here, but... my fear overrode my logic. Her eyes roved hungrily over my body.

_You look so much older..._

I grit my teeth, shutting my eye. One month. One month without any contact and now she wants me? C'mon woman, priorities! She had a playful smile on her face and teasingly squeezed my cheeks.

_Heh, you're so cute... so adorably naive despite me breaking you... Mm... _

Her hands trailed up my chest and I froze in self-defense. She brushed Kibonochi aside and rubbed my scars, the ones that she inflicted herself. She seemed... so whimsical about all of it.

_Have I ever told you that I wanted a son? So much that I'd kill for one? I killed your mommy and your daddy, and still, you fight back? You were so adorable asleep in my arms, I never wanted to let you go..._

I clenched my blades, my eye leaking tears, this was my first contact with anyone I found comforting. My sister wanted nothing to do with me, my brothers were scattered, my lover was mindfucked by the same woman cradling me and holding me as I found myself sobbing. I was like the main character in One by Metallica. Hell, death would be better than this.

_Shh... you have no idea how much I hate this... being apart from my precious little boy..._

No. There was a reason why she let me go. There was a reason why she didn't kill me. My ability to hijack and assimilate Life Fibers into Gray Fibers was invaluable. Well, only if you... wanted to destroy the Primordial Life Fiber! That's why Mom and Dad made me! They knew that Ragyo was losing it and Soichiro was too much of a little bitch boy to stop her until she dumped Ryuko out like trash and took me! So that meant I was the one to diesel the PLF to kingdom come while Satsuki and hopefully Ryuko curb-stomp Miss Handsy, Needle-Glasses, and her Attack Courtier.

At the same time, if I had stayed with REVOCS... there was no force on heaven or hell or even earth that could stop me if she got to brainwash me. I'd not only destroy the world but her too. I'd be the only human left in the whole universe. Or maybe she planned to use the Gray Fibers to destroy the PLF anyway after they factory reset the world... Ew. EW! No! No, get those thoughts RIGHT out of your head, Kazuma! That was one disturbing train of thought that crashed and burned...

Ragyo continued to cuddle me, even if she was a psycho, she could've been an extremely convincing actress... I smiled.

"Y'know what? A month ago, this tactic could've worked..." I sighed, stabbing my swords into her.

"Good thing I don't care anymore!" I said with false cheer, unraveling her and assimilating the Fibers used to create this long-distance Skype doll. Ragyo reformed and appeared on a cracked apart slab of concrete. Lounging on it and watching me shrug my Kamui back on. It was true, the only thing I cared about now was getting Satsuki back.

That's what I used to hide my insecurity and hurt. I never let my walls down nowadays because I couldn't. Not like I used to. The second of my three inner demons appeared, he looked like me... but with elements of Ragyo. The elegance, the hair color, the eyes. This was my mask that I used to wear all those months ago. I was Kaguya, he was the Kiryuin in me".

_She's right, you know._

I tried to ignore him. To no avail. He walked briskly, formal heels clicking on the pavement.

"Leave me alone," I snarled.

_What? Nui was right, you ARE like Ragyo! Don't deny it!_

"I'm nothing like her! That bitch can burn in hell! Wait, no, hell is too good for her..." I muttered.

_Face it, you can't get rid of her, you can't get rid of me... _

"Yes, I can! I'm the master of my destiny! No one can tell me what's right except myself!" I declared, slamming my feet upon the pavement harshly.

_Says the man who carved a bloody canyon through REVOCS's enemies... Says the man who had every opportunity to escape but didn't... Says the man who let his lover die in front of him instead of laying with her and dying with her... Satsuki should be ashamed that she ever shared a bed with you._

I grit my teeth but stayed calm.

_You think you're the hero, huh? Well no, no one is the goddamn hero. This world is no place for a hero..._

"Then what, pray to tell, am I? Mr. 'I'm like Ragyo, ergo, I'm better than you'?" I asked.

_You're an insecure child. A man so obsessed with protecting people who don't need it or want it, your intent is pure. You just want to help. But here's the catch: Satsuki isn't some princess to be saved. Nui isn't a wilting flower. They don't need you. The only reason why they keep you around is that they feel bad for you. Poor little Kazuma, trying to play the hero._

_Hell, even Ragyo likes you because you're so entertaining. You're annoying, too!_

I rolled my eye, great, not another rant about how I'm a dumbass...

"Let me guess, I'm stupid for throwing myself at a brick wall that shines as you do?" I sighed.

_Yes! Exactly! Ragyo is practically unbeatable, so why?_

"Because I know eventually... I'm gonna die," I reasoned.

"I'd rather die knowing that the world is gonna be safe rather than at war and if my death paves the way for it? I'll leave at least something behind that lasts. Something that people might not remember who left it behind... but what. A hero left that behind, he killed a goddess and saved the world. If I live, cool! If I die, okay! At least people will remember me as the anonymous hero that saved the world from the Clothocalypse," I sighed, looking up at the red sky.

I barely remember the last time it was blue. Wait, no, I do. It was a month ago. That mass in the sky was all the COVERS all bundled together. All waiting for the Primordial to unleash them on the world. Or get destroyed at this point I don't know Ragyo's goal anymore. Did she want to conquer the world or destroy it? Pick a side, woman!

Ugh, and the other me is still here! "What do you want?! Why're you here?!" I demanded.

_Uh..._

"Yeah, you better move on!" I snarled.

The other me vanished, not realizing that I'd be so forceful. I needed to gather the brothers. I needed to find Ragyo and Satsuki, save Satsuki and then the world. I know it'll be easier said than done. I'll get you back, Satsuki. I'll get you back in my arms.

* * *

The night was longer than I thought. I was trying to find some sort of clue to where Satsuki was staying. Hannouji was right out. Ragyo was smarter than that. She wouldn't stay in Hannouji, especially since I rigged it to explode into a glass floor. I wasn't sure how Satsuki survived, but... Ragyo has Life Fibers. So... bullshit? Hell, might as well be.

The other me came right back. Always there no matter what. His light was softer, and he was somber.

_Great, now I can't do anything..._

I ignored him, putting more sticks into the fire I was sitting in front of. My eye staring up at the stars, barely visible due to the COVER bulb starting to bloom. I was running out of time. Humanity is... running out of time. I had to get Satsuki back, or Ryuko, someone who could help me beat Ragyo! Someone who... who's stronger than me.

I can't do it alone. I can't do it alone because I'm breakable. I've already been through Ragyo's little mind games and manipulative shit. She knows exactly how to break me. She made my angel fall, she made Satsuki a shell of her former self. Dependent on her other senses. Losing her way and ambitions and listening to another me. A me that hated humanity and wanted it to die.

I felt so alone. Standing alone against Ragyo. Standing alone against an alien superpower that wanted humanity dead. Almost no one fought back nowadays. Well, I was sick of running. Satsuki's order was getting stale, so I decided to stand and fight. I saw something in the distance, seeing the oddly gray version of Junketsu coming up. I smiled and stood up.

No more will I hold back. No more fear. Only focus... only focus... Instead of Koudari and Koudashi, I unsheathed Bakuzan, which I had figured out how to reforge. It wasn't easy.

_AHHHH! Why is there a piece of it in my gut?!_

That was one bad night... I still don't get why the Gray... fibers... didn't... OH! They... it can... CUT THROUGH LIFE FIBERS! All I need to do is cut through Fake-Junketsu and that dumb blindfold! Now all I needed to do was fix Kibonochi and I could-

Shit.

Shit.

SHIT!

Satsuki was getting closer! She started to run! There's only one way out of this!

"RUNNING AWAY!" I yelled, tearing off into the night. 'Okay, put some distance between us! Then, catch her by surprise, strip her, take off the blindfold and cover her with Kibonochi! Then she'll be back and we can go from there!' I thought, smiling. 'Genius!'

"Found you!" I heard, feeling a heel strike me in the back of my head. I dodged and grabbed her by the leg, slamming her down. I got on top of her, grabbing her wrist with my Gray Fiber hand.

"Sorry! But I gotta knock you out!" I apologized. She struggled, my arm vice-gripping her sword arm. Her face was twisted into a snarl, and I wanted to let her go, but... I knew I'd never get this chance again.

"Let... me go... please!" she pleaded.

I hesitated.

_**Kid...**_

"What? She asked nicely!" I joked.

_**Okay, if you let her go, will she:**_

_**A. Brutally kill us?**_

_**B. Go back to Ragyo and then come back with her and have her fuck and then kill us?**_

_**C. Just let us go after conflicting messages from the Blindfold You and You?**_

_**Or D. You cut off the damn thing and save your angel from falling?**_

_**The choice is yours, Kazuma.**_

* * *

It felt wrong to raise my hand against him. Mother never told me what he'd done. I felt his arm pin mine down and I hissed at the strong grip it had on mine.

"Let... me go... please!" I pleaded. I felt him hesitate.

"What? She asked nicely!" he snapped.

_Babe now's the time! Kill him!_

I felt his grip go slack a little, and then, I felt something cold slip in near whatever was on my eyes.

_No! No! Babe! Attack him! Kill him!_

But something made me stay my hand. Something... comforting. A warm hand pressed to my cheek, I felt the love in it.

"I made you a promise, that I'd always protect you... someones gotta watch your back when Nonon or Ira isn't around..." The other Kazuma said warmly, his hand was so warm, and his grip so gentle. Those names were recognizable too. There was a cutting sound, and then...

Light.

Light streamed down at me, my eyes bleary. I blinked, feeling something wet on my temples, I felt something soft against them, rubbing gently.

"What did that bitch do to you?" the warm, kind voice muttered. I felt so cold, and I felt someone's strong arms around me as they dabbed at the blood. My eyes adjusted and I saw him. He was tall, not as tall as me though. His hair was black with silver streaks in it. His body was muscular and his chest was covered with faded scars. His arms, his neck, his cheeks, and the area around one of his eyes were scarred.

He was the most handsome man I'd ever seen. His warm, golden eye was paler, but... this was my Kazuma. The Kazuma who I remembered sharing many sleepless nights with. His grin was lopsided and lazy. He pulled me into his arms, pressing a kiss to my ear.

"The nightmare is over... it's all over..." he whispered, kissing me. I looked down at myself, seeing the scars, still relatively new against my skin. On the ground, a pile of clothes writhed.

_Satsuki! Satsuki! Put me back on! Satsuki!_

I looked up at Kazuma, "Stupid smock..." he sighed and motioned towards it.

"Kibonochi, chow time!" he declared, and a green and black dusty blur shot past us, tackling the pile of writhing clothes and eating it. The clothing screamed as the green coat glew silver for a bit, being good as new and less dusty. With new silver lining in him. Kazuma laughed dryly and the coat wound back around his shoulders.

"We'll get your Kamui back, Satsy..." he sighed, looking down at me.

"In the meantime... I got some clothes for ya..." he mumbled. I noticed a reddening of his cheeks. Even the strongest men could crumble. I noticed that his arm was a soft fabric-like material. Yet, the top half of his arm to the bicep was normal flesh. His other arm was untouched. He held me gently, and I pulled on the shirt and pants, pulling on the coat.

"I found those in an old boutique in Linfen. One hell of a ghost town, even before things got all... COVERED," Kazuma explained, standing with me in his arms. I missed him. The last thing I remember was exploding the Stadium, watching his face shift to agony, reaching out and wanting to grab me. Now I didn't want him to let me go. I loved him. Now I was covered in scars like him.

"I guess we're similar..." I sighed.

Kazuma laughed, leaning down and kissing me, I felt his excitement and love through it. He pulled away.

"Yeah," he sighed, the feeling of joy drained from his face. He held me tightly. Shutting down, he started to cry. He cradled me and sobbed into my shirt. I held him, crying myself, feeling the bandages strain against my temples.

"If only I was strong enough..." he sniffed.

"Kazuma..." I sighed.

"You'd be right here. Right here and okay... I let you go... and it was the worst mistake I ever fucking made! Ragyo hurt you... made you... wrong," he sniffed, burying his face into my shoulder, with me doing the same.

"It should've been me... at least you'd be okay..." he sighed. His grip loosened. I still hugged him, having no idea why he was crying. What happened?

"I... I kept Bakuzan..." he admitted, thrusting it out at me with the sheath on. I pushed it back. Ragyo used that to cut me up... she stitched me back together. I was disgusted by the blade now.

"Satsuki, I can't do this on my own. I can't... I can't beat her without you. Without Ryuko or Nui... Our parents started this, it's only fitting we end it..." he started to sob again, and he smashed his lips into mine, knocking the breath out of me and he pulled away, his eye shining in the moonlight.

"Don't do that again, please... I thought you were dead... I can't face her alone... I can't face life alone! Every day I wake up expecting her to be over me, the sky red and her blade at my neck! I can't run, I can't hide, and I can't fight! All I can do is go day by day hoping that I wake up peacefully again..." He grabbed my shoulders, pulling me closer.

"At least with you, I feel safe..." he whispered.

"No matter what, I love you... even if I have to drag you away from whatever hurts you..." he said.

"You were always the one in control. The one she'd barely mess with... now I have to watch my back as another me looks exactly like her... always sighing and crooning into my ear about how I'm not good enough or strong enough, no matter how many times I tell him to shut up... He was RIGHT, Satsuki. He was right... I'm not strong enough, I'm not good enough... I spent a whole MONTH chasing leads on where you may have ended up... China, Mongolia, France, Spain, Germany, Scotland, Norway. Not a single place had you there..." he ranted.

"I felt like I failed you, I felt like I died. I felt so wrong and lost... I don't know what I'm fighting for anymore..." I heard him sigh.

"Well. How about me? I don't even remember what happened in the past month... now I wake up in your arms and you're so... different," I reasoned.

"Yeah, time does that," he said bluntly. I cupped his cheeks with my hands.

"But it's a good difference..." I sighed.

"It's a good difference. It proves something to me..." I said.

"What? That I'm an obsessive asshole?" he snarled.

"No, that you're loyal," I said, feeling tired. A month's worth of Kamui use was getting to me, and he laid me down, spreading Kibonochi over me and curling around me.

"It's good to be back with you... Kazzy." I yawned.

"Yeah... I love you, Satsy." he sighed, wrapping his arm around me and letting his prosthetic arm pop off his stump.

"To tell you the- Hahhh... truth, I'll never get used to that..." I muttered.

I felt him chuckle and I felt his lips on my neck.

"Well, now you gotta..." he huffed, finally settling down. Tomorrow will be the start of a better future, one that we will lead into the light. Now, all we needed to do was gather everyone... and I have the oddest feeling that it'll be my sister first...

* * *

**A.N: Hello! I don't do Author's Notes for this bad boy too often, but... I just wanted to thank everyone who favorited and followed me and Kazuma on this wild ride of Kill la Kill glory, and I'm sure this won't get ridiculously popular, but... I'm glad for my fourteen favorites and twelve followers! You all rock!**

**We're in the home stretch now! Will our Dragon of Hannouji and Iron Maiden recruit the Empress of the Warboys? Will everyone be the same after the Clothocolyspe? What's with Ragyo and the meaning of No means No? Will she stop being a creep? Probably not...**

**But stay tuned for the next intense episode of Dancing Dragons!**

**Next Time:**

**Anyone got a Plane?**


	16. Episode 16: Anyone Got A Plane?

**[Episode 16: Anyone got a Plane?] **

**OP 4: This Is War by 30 Seconds to Mars.**

**Kazuma and Satsuki stand together against Ragyo, standing on a chessboard, pieces fall around them as they fight her, tears stream down Kazuma's face as good memories blaze into flame, burning away as he fights on, no matter how wounded he gets, he still walks by Satsuki's side, always there and always fighting. The end of the OP sees Kazuma finally standing before Ragyo...**

**And he charges in, blazing bright with Ryuken active.**

* * *

By all accounts. The UK shouldn't be hard to get to. I mean, it's just an island. An island that's now infested with Mad-Maxian Brits. How Ryuko got over there was a mystery. Not only that, but we had no way to get over there ourselves. Satsuki barely slept last night and I had to hold her. She was whimpering, almost crying out loud. Whatever Ragyo did to her made her a shell.

She held my hand in a vice grip as we ambled towards Nonon's airfield. I found it near the coast between France and the UK. The thing was that Ryuko only let Nonon's plane over the channel, dropping off supplies at the coast and flying back. The other members of the Elite Four and the Sworn Brothers were in hiding. As far as I knew, Ira was down in Africa after finding a tunnel from Mt. Fuji to Kilimanjaro. He quickly started a rebellion down there with a quasi-spiritual air to him, he was known as a minor mountain god now.

Uzu was the wandering Monkey King. Mostly focused on protecting his home region of Northern Kanto. Then there's Takarada and his quest for 'Dosh' he's pulling a Rasputin in Russia right now. What about my sister? Back in Shiroi Haibara, expanding like crazy and giving Ragyo hell. She hits her hard and fast, right where it hurts. I just wish I could join her... Satsuki and I were wandering.

She was so different. So gentle and so scared. The bandages on either side of her temples came off and there were more scars. Puncture scars, on either side of her temples where Ragyo had sewn on her blindfold. Junketsu was lost. She looked so haunted. So confused and lost herself. If only I'd stuck around and just replaced her. Satsuki would already be well on her way to kicking Ragyo's ass.

Now it was like her fighting spirit and willpower had died. Her blue eyes would glass over and she'd huddle up against me. I had no idea what to do. She'd never touch Bakuzan. She'd just start shaking and sobbing. No matter how many times I stayed up fretting over her, it didn't make a dent. Ragyo broke her. Some days, Satsuki would be her normal, disciplinarian self, leading me instead of me leading her.

Other days, she'd cling to me, begging me to hold her. Even on some other days, she'd want to make out or have sex, in a very provocative and oddly similar way to her dear mother's style. I never caved when that happened, reminding her firmly and gently that I love her, but I'd rather not right now. She understood and would just settle for us cuddling.

Then she'd add in the 'Darlings' and the 'My loves' and the coup de gras: 'Kazuma, my love...' There was something about my name being said by her that made me want to tackle her and kiss her all over. Something about belonging to her sounded so good. Something I never felt with Ragyo. Something that made it perverse and off-putting.

Yet, I came to a realization and would always stop myself. I never asked her if she wanted me or not.

There was no love when Ragyo would say those things. There was plenty of love when Satsuki would. So much love was in those three words. Now we made camp just before the sun went down, we were close enough to the airfield to see it in the distance. It was small, borderline unnoticeable even if you squint. Which was good. That meant no one would be able to find it from the air.

Satsuki went off to change into something more comfortable. I still kept an eye on her. I never wanted to let her go again. I was worried that she'd run off somewhere. Not that she would. I think? I'm not exactly sure. she came back and sat against me.

"How're you feeling, Satsuki?" I asked.

"... Better," she muttered.

I smiled, "That's great!"

Her azure eyes showed that she was lying. I sighed and wrapped my arms around her, we were going to get through this. All of this damn nightmare was going to be over soon. I wanted it to be over. Ragyo was just making this world hell day by day. The COVERS took more and more lives. More and more people were turning to worse things.

Alcohol and drugs flowed like water, and suicide was commonplace. This world was without hope. Without a way to live. The bulb in the sky got bigger day by day. Seeing the hopelessness in the faces of the other people, the hopelessness I once felt... I resolved never to let anyone else feel it. I always received my pain. Always held it tight.

That way no one would see me break. Only Satsuki saw me break now. All the stress and sleepless nights. All the times I ran away from destiny's call. All of them were to run away from Ragyo, run from the only guardian I ever knew. Sometimes I had to realize that I had to put her down. Some days I wished Ragyo would just wake up and decide to not destroy us all.

That was just wishful thinking. I wanted everyone to drop their blades, sit down, and talk. I wanted to forgive her. But my mind wouldn't let me. My mind would never let me decide what I thought was best...

_It's your fault. You decided to go with her instead of run. It's all your fault. Now Satsuki will never be the same. It's your fault that she ended up like this, your fault. Your Fault._

_Your._

_Fault._

Kazuma-Ragyo changed to Mom, her chest leaking blood, _It's your fault I died..._

Then to Nui, clenching her blade and looking down at me, _Your fault that my childhood was ruined._

Ira and Uzu, _Your fault we're stuck._

Takarada, _Yer fault that my home's nothin' but ruins._

The last one, the golden eyes of my father, the olive skin and the harsh expression, _It's all your fault, you did this. You did all of this. You killed me, the one time you didn't run and you killed me. What a failure you are..._

"No, no, no, I'm trying! I'm trying!" I objected.

_Oh? Where's the progress then? Are you waiting for something? Christmas maybe? When will you avenge me? Or avenge Satsuki?_

I started to run, I wanted to hide. Let me hide. Let me hide!

_Failure. __Worthless. __Weak. __Broken._

'No, leave me alone!' I screamed in my mind. Trying to chase them out. I ran headlong into the night, grasping at my head. I wanted to keep running. I slammed into something and fell, seeing Satsuki standing there. Her eyes gazed into mine and I picked myself back up. She took me into her embrace. I found that... she was bare to the world, her long black hair billowing gently in the soft wind.

I noticed tiny raised horns telescoping out of her hair, like azure monoliths. It was a manifestation of her Life Fibers. Like Ryuko's streak or Ragyo's rainbow hair. In my case, my Gray Fiber arm and hair color represented my Gray Fibers. She leaned down, kissing my cheek, where tears were coursing down. Her lips were soft, her kiss gently drying my tears.

"Shh..." she soothed, her warm hands pulling Kibonochi off and exposing my chest to the cold night air. She pulled me into her arms, her warmth spreading to me.

"You couldn't sleep as well, hm?" she guessed.

I nodded, and she gently pulled me down to lay on the soft grass, in her warm arms, hearing her heartbeat so gentle and strong. She was back, the Satsuki I knew. She buried her face into my hair and closed her eyes, her rhythm softening.

"Do you want this?" she asked, pushing me back, I saw her perfect body, scarred and marred by hands not my own. God, I wanted her. Her eyes shined in the night and her horns too. They were cute, but I hoped they weren't permanent. I leaned up and touched them, feeling that they were hard, but when I squeezed one of them, Satsuki let out a loud moan.

"Kazuma... you sly dog..." she cooed, kissing me on the neck and biting down, sending waves of pleasure coursing through my body. I responded by tackling her, slamming her to the ground and kissing her passionately, my senses overridden by my lustful desires. I froze though, hesitating once more.

"Satsuki, do you want me?" I asked.

Satsuki answered by kissing me, pulling back long enough to say, "I've been wanting you for the past month..." And then I had her.

* * *

We woke up in each other's arms. remembering the love we made last night. Satsuki was smiling, her eyes shining in the morning light. Her horns were so adorable. They were small, but not too noticeable unless you weren't blind. I felt... good. Not on top of the world kind of good, but close. I finally had some measure of normalcy. Satsuki hugged me tightly and I hugged her back.

She did chase all those ghosts away... Anyway, our goal was in sight, and now all we needed to do was ask Nonon to ferry us over. We strode easily down to the airfield, finding a detachment of... Barbershoppe?! No, it was REVOCS! Nonon was being held a gunpoint and pissed off.

"Seriously guys, I need to get these supplies over..." she growled.

"Can it, Jakuzerae! We know that you're against Lady Ragyo!" one of the men yelled.

"Oh yeah? You wanna know why?" she snarked.

"No explanations! Either shut down or die! For your crimes against Lady Ragyo's great reign, we sentence you to death by COVER!" they snapped.

"Oh nooo... anything but that..." she feigned.

I stepped out of my cover, seeing Satsuki clenching the side of it, "Kazuma! Kazuma, come back!" she hissed.

Great, Ragyo made her a coward... well... she was literally in the dark for a month. So I can't fault her. I broke into a sprint, my eye focused on the REVOCS guys harassing Nonon. I unsheathed my swords, dashing in. I slashed through the guy's gun like butter. I continued to rip and tear, my eye darting around, finding target after target.

I was doing good work. I was doing what I promised myself. I promised to keep everyone alive. So here I was, dieseling the human soldiers of REVOCS. They weren't a challenge anymore, I was beyond them now. I stood, sheathing my blades and turning towards Nonon, who looked like she'd seen a ghost. Or two considering that Satsuki was currently choking a guy out.

Once she was done, Nonon tackled me, with a scream of relief and tears. I hugged her back. She was always the crier out of the four of us. It was me, Satsuki, Nonon, and Kaneo. We were all childhood friends.

"You big dumb worm! You pulled a disappearing act on us!" she sobbed, whipping me on the head with her baton.

"Ouch! Sorry..." I sighed.

"Still! I'm glad you're mostly intact! Wait... NO! No way! SATSY!" Nonon screamed, noticing Satsuki standing there awkwardly. She tackled her, hugging her tightly and laugh-crying.

"You're alive!" she sobbed.

"Uhm... of course, I am...?" Satsuki mumbled. Nonon broke away.

"Explain, wormie," she demanded.

"Uh... let's just say she's still recovering from some MAJOR coddling..." I said.

She knew our code words well, and nodded, "Damn, what's going on with the horns?" she asked.

"That's an expression of her Life Fibers, a lot like her mom's hair..." I whispered.

"Oh," Nonon grunted, clenching her hands into fists. She grit her teeth, I heard them creak.

"I'm gonna kick her ass! I'mma kick it so hard that it'll go into orbit! Where to? I'm gonna help!" She yelled.

"The UK, we're gettin' Ryuko first, then Ira and Uzu, then Takarada and my sis," I explained. Nonon smiled.

"Okay, but be warned, Ryuko's got one HELL of an army backing her. They're all chomping at the bit to get to Ragyo, but there's no way to get their massive war vehicles anywhere without Ragyo's COVER cannons givin' them hell... It was the same for Nui. She tried to attack Ragyo's base... well... c'mon inside an' I'll show ya what's left of her army..." Nonon explained, my surprise at my sister's survival overshadowed by my worry. The last time we saw each other was when she blew up at me for not crying about Mom.

We went inside the nearby hangar, seeing about twenty or so men and women each bustling around, seeing a bed at the center, seeing my sister laying in it, her eyes were closed and she was bandaged up around her head, arms, and legs. Doc Mankanshoku, his wife, and his son all attended her. I spotted Barber staying ever loyal at my sister's bedside, holding her hand.

"There she is, she's been comatose ever since the attack. She wanted to find you and assumed that Ragyo knew where you were... then the massacre happened..." Nonon sighed, I started forwards, seeing the shocked faces of her men and women, seeing Barber's shocked expression as I knelt by her other side, feeling the pain through her Gray Fibers, they were small and weak, not like mine.

We can share our pain. I could hurt myself and Nui would be healed. I started to cry, seeing every death she had to endure, seeing all the horrors she saw. I buried my face into my arms. My only family left, and she suffered for me. She almost died... for me.

I sobbed, holding her tightly, "D-don' worry... big brother's here... he's... he's gonna..." I stuttered.

I felt her shift, "K-kazzy?" she mumbled, opening her eyes. I looked up and saw her smile.

"KAZZY!" she squealed, squeezing me in a death-grip. I guess she forgave me, but I saw her raise her hand and slap me on my head.

"OW!" I snarled.

"You stupid poophead! You had me worried! I thought Ragyo got you!" she yelled. Squeezing me in a hug again. I hugged her back just as hard and long. I was so relieved that she was okay. She was the annoying little sister, but she was all I had in terms of my real family. I pulled away and smirked.

"Don't go runnin' off without me, okay?" I asked.

Nui grinned, her eyes twinkling, "Sure... you're gonna go runnin' off to take the glory..." she pouted.

"Okay! I'm gonna come with!" she decided. Barber rose.

"No, Miss Nui, you can't, not in your condition!" he said.

"Awww... c'mon, Kazzy..." she sighed, pleading with me.

"No, Barber is right. You're hurt and we need someone to stay back that's essential personnel, not to mention your resemblance to Harime would probably make Ryuko have another meltdown," I reasoned. Nui still pouted but relented. Satsuki watched me walk away with a pondering expression on her face.

"What's it like having a little sister?" she wondered.

"Eh, nothing special. More like trying not to fight each other over some stupid crap that happened a day, a month, a year, or a decade ago... Or there are the ones you barely see without the other one. Then... the ones who... ugh, okay, let's not get into that last one!" I spat, I think Satsuki knew what the last type was because she started to shudder.

She hugged herself and I realized what was happening. Nonon was out of the loop.

"Uh... what's happening to her?" she asked.

"She's fine, it's just a bad dream," I assured, wrapping my arms around Satsuki, who buried her face into the crook of my neck, her warm breath shuddering out, her whimpering surprised everyone there.

"Don't... don't... don't..." she mewed, her arms wrapping around me and squeezing, I carried her out and still held her until her whimpers quieted down. I was lucky that she didn't go ballistic. Sometimes she'd claw and bite, her horns would extend when that happened, so they were dependent on her mood. It was odd, seeing Satsuki with horns of all things.

I wondered if it was different for everyone. Ragyo, of course, had her hair. Matoi had the same kind of thing. Would Dr. Matoi have the horns? I remember vaguely that Dad had an oddly soft patch of skin on his elbow that felt like my arm now. Mom had the odd soft spot too. I looked down at Satsuki.

"Alright, I think it's time to head off!" I called Nonon, who was taxiing the plane out of one of the hangars. It was pink, with a menacing amount of guns on it with the words VALKYRIE ONE on the side. It looked like a B-24 bomber and a Cessna had a baby, then that baby had a baby with a Spitfire. Valkyrie One was a beauty. Weighed down with guns I bet.

We boarded and Nonon smiled, "Well then, here we go! Operation Break the Rainbow is a go!" she chirped. I couldn't fight the goofy smile on my face, we were really doing it! We were gonna save the world! I couldn't help but feel childishly giddy and Satsuki mirrored my excitement with a soft smile. I sat down and watched the clouds whiz by.

"How'd you get ahold of this baby?" I asked.

"Ryuko souped it up for me, she's good with machines..." Nonon sighed.

"So, what have you been doing, Kazuma?" she wondered.

"Wandering. The only thing I'm remotely good at without getting fucked, literally or figuratively," I sighed, hearing Nonon laugh. Satsuki reached over and squeezed my hand.

"I don't like that she touched you... Ragyo hurt you. You're mine," she stated simply, glaring over at me, her horns getting a little taller. I smiled weakly, her proclamation making me feel odd.

That phrase, 'You're mine' was the same phrase Ragyo used to justify her torture of me, a shock of something hit me in my mind. THAT memory was unrepressed. I had to forget it. I had to repress it again...

_You're mine. Kazuma..._

A cold hand.

_Mm..._

A cold hand.

_This is what people in love do, Kazuma..._

* * *

I remember fighting. I remember anger. I remember her. She was just... smiling... holding my little body down, I fought my way towards him. If I couldn't save myself... what kind of man would I be then? I ran, I reached out, my fingertips just brushing his. No. Not this time. Not on my watch! I won't let the little me that trusted her so purely down!

"Ma..." he said, before being locked in a kiss that we didn't want. Held in arms that we used to love being held in. Now they were like a vice. Holding us close, holding the little me so tightly. He struggled, only serving for Ragyo to just hold tighter, to force herself deeper.

I still reached out, still just barely grabbing hold. I won't let myself down. I won't let her tear him away. I was tired of the demons, I was tired of being held back. I was so tired. I grabbed hold of Ragyo, my eye burning with tears.

Never again.

Never. Again.

You're nothing.

Nothing.

I held the pain tight. I held it for too long. Now it was time to let it go. I forced her off of the other me. The little me was curled into a little ball, naked and scared. I was only a child, and I wrapped my arms around him. I held him close, feeling his sobs against my chest. Staring at Ragyo as she glared at me.

"Not this time. Not this time, Ragyo," I snarled.

Little Me clung onto me so tightly. I held him.

"It's alright... no one is gonna hurt you..." I assured.

"Where's... where's Satsy?" he asked.

"She's in her room... and waiting. She loves you, y'know that?" I asked.

"Yeah... and she's hurt too..." the little me sniffed.

"Yeah, and we love her, right?" I wondered.

"Mm-hm!" he agreed, nodding.

Ragyo raged towards us, and I stood up, the memory fading to dust, leaving only me standing against the woman who ruined my life. Who ruined so many lives, not just my own.

"I won't let you keep this pain in me!" I yelled, walking up and punching her square in the face, grabbing on and headbutting her. I smiled, closing my eye, feeling the rush of air.

"I receive this pain! I receive this pain! I let it become my past! TO PAVE THE WAY TO A BRIGHTER FUTURE! I AM KAZUMA KAGUYA: THE DRAGON! AND I WON'T ET ANYONE ELSE FEEL IT! SO DIE!" I yelled, being jolted awake by a loud explosion.

* * *

"What the hell?! What's goin' on?" I asked.

"COVER cannons! They've taken out two engines!" Nonon yelled.

"How many do we have?" I asked.

"Two, dipshit!" Nonon yelled. We were falling out of the sky, and Satsuki took Bakuzan from me.

"HANG ON TO SOMETHING, YOU TWO! WE'RE COMIN' IN HOT!" Nonon roared. I braced myself, binding Satsuki and yanking her over to me. I shut my eye...

* * *

**{Next Time: In the Den of the Warboys!}**

**A.N: I have another Kill la Kill story called Love equals Hatred, check it out, too!**


	17. Episode 17: In the Den of the Warboys

**[Episode 17: In the Den of the Warboys.] **

**OP 4: This Is War by 30 Seconds to Mars.**

**Kazuma and Satsuki stand together against Ragyo, standing on a chessboard, pieces fall around them as they fight her, tears stream down Kazuma's face as good memories blaze into flame, burning away as he fights on, no matter how wounded he gets, he still walks by Satsuki's side, always there and always fighting. The end of the OP sees Kazuma finally standing before Ragyo...**

**And he charges in, blazing bright with Ryuken active.**

* * *

Y'know, in movies, they make plane crashes look easy. Of course, it looks so easy! All I felt was that my good arm went numb, the soft burning of Gray Fibers thrummed through it. Nonon and Satsuki were squished together in my Gray Fiber arm. I felt the bright sunlight pierce my eye. Ow. That hurt.

"Wait... we're okay?" Nonon wondered.

"Yeah... ow..." I grunted, letting them go. Satsuki swept towards me, her horns tall again, her eyes wide with alarm. She saw my good arm being cradled close to my chest, her eyes widened and her horns lengthened. She swept me into her arms and held me gently, my head was against her chest. Nonon rolled her eyes, then saw my normal flesh arm.

"Holy shit..." she breathed. Nonon tried to take a look, but Satsuki held me closer and away from her. In the days following the brainwashing, Satsuki became hyper-protective of me. Going so far as to carry me and hold me tightly like now. It wasn't soothing for her, it was just for me to know that I belong to her. She was much more primal, much more... paranoid.

"Satsuki, look at me, Nonon is just gonna look at it, okay?" I assured.

"Mm," she grunted, relenting. She was quieter nowadays, too. I hated it. I hated not seeing her smile as often as I used to. The area around us was choked out with sand, and Nonon was desperately trying to radio for help, but due to REVOCS, all networks were cut off... My gray fibers were numbing my arm, so I couldn't feel the pain.

All I felt was Satsuki's worry. Nonon sighed and sat next to us under one of the wings.

"All we can hope is that we come across one of Ryuko's War Vehicles, damn! This is the first time I was ever late for a shipment!" she yelled.

"Nonon. Is your family..." I segued.

"Gone? Yeah, just like you and Nui, I'm an orphan..." she huffed.

"The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb," Satsuki quoted, with a small smile. Nonon buried her face into her knees, crying. We all had hurt. We all had pain. I sighed. In the distance, we heard the opening chords of... Welcome to the Jungle? Nonon shot up, her eyes wide.

"Shit!" she cursed.

"What?" Satsuki asked.

"She's coming herself?!" Nonon gasped, and there, among the sands, we saw them. To the dulcet tunes of Guns n' Roses, the Warboys roared over the dunes, all of them in mish-mashes of different vehicles, screaming, whooping men and women in Apocalypse leather mixed with military fatigues were hanging out the windows and having a grand old time.

They all surrounded Valkyrie One and stopped, all of their engines going quiet. We heard rumbling in the distance, and cresting over the dunes was nothing short of a monster. Huge, metallic, monstrously crawling on huge legs was a city. The legs were easily taller than the main spire of Hannouji Academy, this was the last city of humanity, built by Ryuko and her Life Fibers...

It looked like a giant crab, rising high above us, the dust-covered steel glinted dully.

**{The City of the Last Bastion.}**

**{The Den of the Warboy Battalions.}**

Welcome to the Jungle stopped playing as the city lowered itself, shining a spotlight down onto us. I hissed and Nonon started to get nervous. The light was red. A staircase extended from on high, we heard huge footsteps come down the metal steps, with each booming step, we saw who it was. It was Ira! He towered over everyone with stoic determination.

He wore hard-boiled leather armor and old car pieces as armor, his stomach armor from his family was proudly displayed, he smiled down at us.

"Lady Satsuki, Lord Kazuma, Pilot Nonon... welcome to the Last Bastion, Commander Matoi has been quite anxious for your arrival," he said, his reverence clear in his tone. The city proper was high above the ground, crawling strongly towards the coast. The people all looked at us with such... wariness. As if they weren't used to new people.

If it wasn't the apocalypse, I'd be a little offended. Everything was packed together, but people seemed happy. They seemed so happy to be here. Not out there with the death and destruction. I noticed my dragon was on the flag alongside a crossed together Bakuzan and Scissor Blade, I looked up at it and started to cry. Satsuki held me to her shoulder, her eyes closed as she soothed me with soft kisses.

I continued to sob. She remembered us. She remembered that we were fighting too. Now that we were all coming together... I hoped that everything was going to be alright. I didn't want to ever let go of my friends. They became my family. Ira, Uzu, Kaneo, Satsuki... all of them, even Nonon, Inumuta, and Iori. Nui and I were the only ones left of the Kaguya family.

With the death of Ragyo, Satsuki and Ryuko would be the last of the Kiryuins... I didn't feel bad. All I felt was anticipation. Ira led us up higher, up to the main room. My fibers were still dulling the pain and slowly mending my arm. Bone took way longer than muscle and ligaments. Satsuki still held me tightly enough to make me a little uncomfortable.

We were in a throne room, not in the conventional sense, it was dominated by a holographic map of the world, with only small divots of resistance. The largest ones were here and Russia. Looking over the map was Ryuko, Senketsu reinforced with leather armor and Junketsu wrapped around her shoulders like a cape. She looked up, her blue eyes softened.

"No way! No fucking way! If it ain't my big sis!" she gasped.

"Ryuko," Satsuki growled, cuddling me closer.

"Can ya stop holdin' yer boy-toy?" she asked.

"My boy-toy?" Satsuki asked, her voice low.

"Oh boy, she pulled the Kazuma Card..." Nonon sighed. Satsuki passed me to Ira, who started to blush. He looked down at me.

"Lord Kazuma, please, allow me to cover your ears," he requested.

"Sure," I scoffed.

He couldn't, and the tirade began.

"Boy-toy? Boy-toy? You don't know half the things he's been through for me! How much pain he took... how much he loves me... you're a lonely, apathetic delinquent with no idea how much the odds are stacked against you! Ragyo... she's... inhuman!" Satsuki roared, her horns lengthening and her eyes aflame.

"Oh yeah?! So am I! So are you and your boyfriend!" Ryuko objected.

"You don't understand what we went through day by day just to live! Look at my body! Hell, look at Kazuma's body and you'll see a goddamn tapestry of scars!" Satsuki yelled she was toe-to-toe with Ryuko.

"Well, you weren't the one with such a trash dad! At least Ragyo cared enough to keep you around instead of dumping me through a fucking GARBAGE CHUTE!" Ryuko roared.

"You think she cared?! She never cared about me! She only kept me around to appease our father! The only one she ever cared about was him!" Satsuki screamed like a banshee. Her horns were like daggers now, her eyes blazing with hellfire, she was pointing at me.

"Every second. Every time. Every second I thought I could impress her... it went to Kazuma. All the affection, all the attention... it was torture..." Satsuki sighed, coming back over to Ira and taking me into her arms. Or tried to, I slid out of Ira's hand to stand on the floor to be equal.

"But I fought back. I fought for him and won him. Something you'll never understand bec-" I cut her off.

"You two shut the hell up! You both need to cool it! The last thing we need is infighting... you think I wanted this? You think that I wanted to come from Hannouji, dodging REVOCS, dodging COVERS, dodging Hunter Killers, and surviving on garbage to finally get to Howl's Moving Hellhole to just hear the woman I love and her sister bitch at each other? No! I didn't! Now both of you either sit down and talk or we're hashin' this shit out!" I snarled. I turned with a snap of my boots and a flip of my coat.

"Ira, with me!" I ordered.

"Sir!" Ira enthusiastically barked. I wouldn't tolerate their stupid rivalry anymore. I felt... hurt. As if she was blaming me, the five-year-old who attached himself to Ragyo, for all of her problems. Yes, I will admit that I might've had some hand in them, but... I wasn't at fault for some of it. It hurt. It hurt so much... did she hate me?

Did Satsuki hate me all that time? For monopolizing her mother? The thing is... she threw herself at me. Ragyo always wanted to know what I was doing. I sat down on a balcony overlooking the city, "Ira, is there anyone you can contact?" I asked.

"Uzu and Kaneo haven't been answering their devices, seeing as the Russian Front is holding its own, I find no reason to worry," Ira reported. He was always loyal, all my men were. Uzu and Taka were my friends.

"That's what I was afraid of... find a way to contact those idiots and have them meet us... my arm is almost done healing. I just... need time," I huffed, sitting down. The night was warm, loud. I wanted things to be cold and quiet, where Satsuki would just come up and cuddle, where I could kiss her and tell her I'm sorry. I ruined her childhood. I ruined her.

I was the catalyst. The cause of her pain. If I just ran away, If I just listened to Dad... she wouldn't have those scars or those horns. She'd be normal... and somewhere down the line, we would've met and become close. I clenched my hands into fists, my arm healed. I heard the door open, and shoes clicking on the wood floor. I stared up at the stars, wishing I could be one of them.

They didn't have to feel like the weight of the world was on their shoulders. Because for me it is. Satsuki, Ryuko, and I were the only ones with Kamuis able to stop Ragyo. I stood, bringing out my blades, jabbing them down, Kibonochi billowing in the wind like a mighty cloak. I felt something in my heart. and around my middle.

The warmth of Satsuki's breath against my neck broke me out of my doldrums. Her arms were around me, her mouth so close to my neck, breathing.

"Hey, what are ya doing?" I asked.

She leaned in, nibbling at my neck, sending small jolts through my body. Her eyes told me all I wanted to hear. I'm sorry, too. I pulled her into my arms, my eye closing. I felt her hand move my eyepatch off my face and her soft lips against my scar. I leaned back, feeling her arms tighten around me and she buried her face into my shoulder, sending me back into the room, I felt growing wetness on my shoulder.

Her shoulders shook and I held her. She was in tears again.

"I... I'm sorry..." she admitted.

"Don't be. It's my fault after all..." I sighed.

"If it weren't for me, I think you'd be better off," I muttered.

Satsuki kissed me passionately, tears running down her cheeks, her need clear. She needed me to assuage her pain. She wore it like the iron heart she wore on her sleeve.

"Kazuma, never say that again! I was wrong. I was so wrong... I never meant to hurt you. I just... blurted out what came to my mind..." she sighed, I dried her tears.

"You got that from me!" I laughed, hugging her tightly. I smiled and closed my eye, kissing her neck, I loved her more than anything. Then, here comes the bombshell, the thing that made me freeze and start to worry.

"I'm going to fight Matoi and finish our rivalry... one last battle, right?" she asked.

"Careful, okay?" I sighed, "I don't want you to get hurt,"

She smirked confidently, "Oh please, we know it'll be a landslide victory..." she scoffed.

"Don't let your confidence be your undoing, darling..." I chided. She pecked me on the cheek and pulled away. She was wearing Junketsu again, I was relieved that it seemed that she was okay. Kibonochi's been silent lately...

* * *

**[REVOCS BASE ATLANTIS: REVOCS'S ULTIMATE BASE OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF ALL OCEAN'S POINT OF ORIGIN.]**

I hated humanity. I hated them for tearing apart the untouched beauty we had around us. The ocean... one of the least explored regions of Earth... dyed red by the blood of rebels and COVERS alike. I mourned for the COVERS for they were my children... I heard them scream for me. I heard them crying and begging. I am the punishment of God.

I am the punishment for the usurper that denied my love. That evil boy and his Kamui. So it begins... the end of it all. Me or him, win or lose. I fully intend to win.

"Hoomaru, stop the COVERS from attacking the Last City of Bastion... let them come," I commanded with a deft wave of my hand.

_**"Ragyo, my son is gonna have one hell of a time dealin' with you..."** _Shinra whispered.

"Shh... sweet Shinra..." I sighed, caressing him.

He was my instrument of destruction, no one made it far without being subjected to his power. He's a dream. The bliss and sorrow I felt were just emotions I needed to kill. Yet, the still small voice of my humanity kept recalling all the human moments I felt.

_Why didn't I feel anything?_

_Seeing my best friend's son crying, sobbing and trying his hardest to kill me?_

_"YOU KILLED MY DAD!"_

_You betrayed him. You, Ragyo Kiryuin._

_You betrayed your best friend, she loved you like a sister, supported you through it all. You murdered her._

_"That's... the difference between us... you... never... loved your children enough to sacrifice yourself... for them,"_

_You abandoned your daughters, you killed your husband. Yet, I'm still here. Your humanity is never dead. You carved a bloody scar in the skin of history, you broke the boy who loved you unconditionally. You broke your daughter who just wanted a chance to have you smile at her and be proud! So much blood is on your hands, and changing now won't absolve you._

_I renounce your humanity, I renounce you, shameful..._

I smiled at the other me, the one still clinging on to the past. She faded and Goro appeared.

"So that's it, huh?" he asked.

I nodded.

"Well then, I guess I can't stop you... CONGRATULATIONS! You did it! Wow! Good job! Now go and slaughter my son and your daughters... you win!" he snarled. That's what I wanted to hear out of him...

* * *

The stadium was huge, carved out of a mountain and easily bigger than the rest of the city, with seats reaching toward the summit. I came in support of Satsuki, yet... I felt something in my chest. Something resembling pride as she marched out of her side, Junketsu synced and ready to go. She was up on a souped-up jumbotron as the other members of the audience jeered and booed.

Her expression was focused, hardened. Her eyes piercing. The face that many an opponent saw before the sword came down and killed them. I tensed in my seat, seeing Matoi arrive at her walk-up music of some blaring dubstep number that I'm not gonna lie... it's something Takarada would LOVE.

"Alright, everyone! We've got one hell of a fight ahead! In one corner is the Iron Maiden of Hannouji: Lady Satsuki KIRYUIN!" Oh wow, Mankanshoku is alive. Go figure... Also, more jeers and boos.

"In the other corner, we know 'er! We love 'er! IT'S RYUUUUUUUUUUUKKKKKKKKOOOOOOOOOOO MATTTTTTTTTTTTTOOOOOOOOOIIIIIIIII!" Mankanshoku screamed, sending the crowd into a frenzy the likes of which I've never seen. Ira shielded me from the brunt of the attacks. He held me much like a child.

"Ira? Why?" I asked.

"Lady Satsuki gets to hold you all the time," he sighed.

"Do you have a crush on me?" I asked.

Ira grew beet red, and he coughed into his free hand.

"No! Absolutely not, I just respect you as a fighter and as my Lord! And we're in hostile territory, please don't tell Takarada or Uzu!" He begged. I sighed and just smiled up at him.

"I won't, and I don't care if you like me or not, it's okay," I assured, Ira, smirked looking back up to watch the fight. There were times when I reciprocated his feelings a little bit. Yet, I was too head-over-heels for Satsuki and he was head-over-heels for Mako. I could tell. The way he ran himself ragged in those early days trying to find her reminded me of me in those days, trying to find Satsuki.

I guess we just realized that we loved someone even more...

* * *

Satsuki and Ryuko's duel was nothing short of bombastic. Both of them were fighting with something resembling grace and poise, but Satsuki's savagery was coming in spades. The force behind her strikes was palpable. All of it was felt. All of her determination, all of her bravery. All of her RAGE. All of it came out in an ugly storm, her horns were tall, her eyes burning and blazing.

Bakuzan was a blur, and Ryuko was trying to rebound and regain the advantage. She didn't let her. Relentlessly raging through all the hits and slashes. I realized that she was about to be consumed by the power the Life Fibers were feeding into her, or she was externalizing her rage into a palpable second wind. It scared me, knowing what my girlfriend was capable of and thanking my lucky stars that I wasn't often on the receiving end of most of it.

Ryuko was keeping up, blue and red energy started to spark as they changed to other modes, flashing from bladed ones to shielded ones, and back again. They clashed, sending a shockwave ripping through the stadium.

"MAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTOOOOOOOOOOOOIIIIIIIII!"

"KIIIIIIIIIRRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYUUUUUUUUINNNNNNNNN!" They both roared, breaking the area around them with force enough to send a windstorm blitzing through the seats. I clenched my hands into fists, standing up and running to the edge, wondering who'd emerge from the dust and smoke victorious. The cloud cleared and they were still standing, gasping and huffing, desynced, Satsuki lurched forward, intent on ending it.

So did Ryuko, and I was preparing to step in. I could hold them apart long enough for them to tire out. Satsuki, tattered and haggard, raised her blade.

"I... will finish... this!" she roared, throwing her blade to the side, it skittered on the hard metal, and I picked it up. She ended up falling onto Ryuko. Ryuko instinctively caught her.

"I understand now that our goals align, I understand that we're all not cut from the same cloth... and that duel wasn't a draw... you won, Ryuko," Satsuki sighed, I smirked and turned away, knowing that things would get better.

"Wow, even when apologizin' you get all flowery with the language... sometimes I'm not sure how Kazuma understands you," Ryuko drawled. The rest of the stadium erupted into raucous cheers and jostling. I found Bakuzan's sheath and sheathed it. Satsuki held out her hand for it and I tossed it over. She belted it on.

"Kazuma, Ryuko and I have much to discuss, so please just wait in our room," she informed. I nodded, walking out of the arena, I wondered what they wanted to talk about. But then again, it wasn't my place to pry.

* * *

I was worried. Worried about Satsuki, how much the fight tired her out, but... she hasn't come back ever since the end of the fight. Well, they had a lot to talk about I bet. So... here we are, laying in bed.

_**"Kazuma... how you feelin' kiddo?"**_

"I just... I feel so worried... what if Satsuki loses it again? What if she gets herself hurt and I'm not there to help? What if... What if she loses control of Junketsu?" I asked.

_**"She's strong, she'll be okay..."**_

_**"About Ira, did you two ever..." **_

"No, but I always liked him, he's my best friend... and if things were any different, I wouldn't mind. It's just clear that we're dedicated to our partners. An' that's okay," I sighed. Kibonochi looked up at me.

_**"That's true. So... what's up with you and Satsuki?"**_

"Well... I wanna... I dunno... I wanna marry her one day, maybe have a kid?" I mumbled, not realizing that Satsuki was here. She looked down at me with a small smile. Her eyes shined in the silver light streaming through the window, her soft footfalls whispered against the floor, her horns were tiny, and she opened her arms, pulling me into her warmth, her hands taking off Kibonochi.

"I'm so tired... and you say you want children, my dragon?" she asked.

"Uhm... eventually!" I spat.

Satsuki started to slowly rub my chest, "Eventually, eh? Are you sure we'll even see tomorrow? Let's go for it..." she whispered, tipping my face up and leaning forward. Her lips capturing mine in a soft, sweet, low heat kiss... the kiss of an angel. I grabbed hold of her shoulders, deepening it. Her breath was hot, her chest a soft furnace of contained rage.

Her hands slammed on either side of the headboard, she pulled sharply away, "I... I can't... I..." she stammered. I leaned up, cupping her cheek with my hand.

"I'm not gonna do it if you don't want to, but... I wanna know if you want to, just like you did for me last time... so, Satsuki... do you want me?" I asked.

She gathered herself, her hands clenching into fists, grinding against the headboard, "Of course! Of course, I want you! You're my boyfriend! You're... you're... everything to me... always there for me when mother would... she would..." Satsuki shook with rage and lust, smashing her lips into mine and me into the headboard.

"Oh fuck!" I snarled out, wrapping my arms tightly around her, keeping her back as she kissed and bit at me, the pain and passion making me melt into a puddle of jelly. God, Satsuki angry while trying to have sex with me is SUCH A FUCKING TURN ON! She bit my shoulder hard enough to leave a mark, her eyes burning as she wrestled with my pants.

Once she all but tore them off, she beheld my member. She smiled.

"Ah... there it is..." she cooed a little, kissing me and situating herself over me, pinning me down with her hands, her lips leaving trails of fire all over me. I was burning, and Satsuki was the fire. She smirked, readying herself.

"Ready?" she asked.

"Don't ask!" I snarled, grabbing her hips and thrusting strongly in. She let out a grunt, my other hand pulled her head down to my shoulder, hiding her face as I continued, her moans and cries like music. While I was growling, snarling, kissing her with as much fervor as a frenzied piranha. I closed my eye.

"I worship you, Satsuki... I hope you know that..." I whispered in her ear, I felt her start to match my rhythm, her hand shot up to my neck, grabbing hold and squeezing.

"Then I will show you what I do to sweet zealots like you!" she yelled, biting down on my neck again, the pain making me let out a loud yell. A haze of bliss colored my world as my heart raced like a bullet train. Her eyes were like azure searchlights. Her love was rough, uncompromising, but sweet. Everything culminated in a loud, screaming blast of us yelling, then bliss pooled between us.

I felt her lips against my bite marks and she kissed them, "I'm sorry... I know it hurts..." she muttered against my skin, I held her against my chest, her body tremored a little with the afterglow. Our bed was a mess of the comforter and sheets being tossed around and the heat between us was probably enough to cook a goddamn egg. It wasn't like the pain I felt after Ragyo's conquests.

"Don't apologize... it felt good..." I sighed. I smoothed her messy black hair, feeling its silky smooth tresses. I kissed her horns gently.

"Are these permanent, baby?" I asked.

"No..." she sighed, her lazy, gentle kisses lulled me into sleep. Earlier, there was chaos in the streets as Ryuko ordered all civilians and non-essential personnel out of the city, it was converted into a giant beast of war, with cannons on the front that were giant Gatling guns, that she claimed would be able to tear through COVERS. I only hoped Uzu and Takarada would arrive in time to see this all through.

Because I'm gonna win, no matter what it takes.

* * *

**[Next Time: To Hell and Back!]**


	18. Episode 18: To Hell and Back

**[Episode 18: To Hell and Back.]**

**A.N: So begins the Finale Arc! Thanks for stickin' around! Now, Our heroes are about to fight more than just zealots and COVERS... Atlantis holds more beasts than Hell itself, as it has yet to prove.**

**Fun Fact: Kazuma's kanji contains 'Triumph over' and 'Superiority' for his first name and his last name contains the kanji for 'Incense' 'Imperial Family' and 'Night.'**

**Final OP: Traitor's Requiem**

**Kazuma looks up at the stars as the logo fades in, the shot bursts apart, showing our teams of heroes, Satsuki and Kazuma. Ryuko and Nui. The Sworn Brothers and Elite Four. Then there's Ragyo, Hoomaru, and the other Nui in their respective ways, with a mysterious Pale Swordsman there too.****  
**

* * *

The day dawned with silence, aside from the heavy thumping of the Bastion's legs hitting the seafloor littered with dead ships and bodies floated around the vicinity of Atlantis. The sea was dyed red, and we all saw the stark-white monolith that could be the subject of nightmares to come. The cannons started neat up to bombard a hole in the wall where we could get in.

This dreadful soup of death spread out before us. All the carnage, all the chaos... it made me sick. The legs drilled into the turf and I tensed, Satsuki reached over and grabbed my hand, I looked up at her and her glare was intense. She never looked bothered by it. Her blue eyes that once were full of emotion were harsh ice. The cannons started to rotate.

"Alright! Once the cannons get goin' we get on in there! Alright, Satsuki. You're with Kazuma! Ira, you're with Uzu and Takarada! Kaguya, you an' me! We'll all meet in the middle, got it?" Ryuko barked. Nonon and Mako would be providing air support, as best as they could with Hoomaru being the Red Baron of Ragyo's private militant branch of REVOCS.

We all boarded the incursion DTR, with Mikisugi proudly inside it. It was a huge mecha, with dual rifles on both arms with hands holding two blades. It was big enough for all of us to fit. He sat proudly in the pilot's chair, smiling roguishly.

"Even if it covers me! I'll still keep on being a naked Nudist!" he yelled, grabbing his aviator sunglasses, "Now let's get sticky!" he roared. The mecha ripped and tore through the COVERS trying to slow us down, Valkyrie Two provided cover fire and the Warboys darted through the waves atop their naval vehicles. The Incursion DTR made a flying leap, clinging onto the side of the building and opening up to let us all loose.

We all leaped into action.

* * *

They were here. We all saw that mech clinging onto the side of the building. Hoomaru was ready to fly. My dear Nui was in position. Goro whisked out from his wardrobe, a sword in his hands, his humanoid body whispering and whistling. His pale face wreathed by a hood over his eyes. I touched his silky-smooth cheek and resisted the urge to don him.

All in due time. I was to face my older daughter and he was to face his son. I couldn't wait.

* * *

We all piled in, with Kazuma keeping an eye peeled for anything suspicious. An oppressive sterile air swept through the area. When we entered, we all split up, with each of us trying to find an entrance to the main room. I felt the darkest aura I've ever felt before. I shut my eyes, listening. I focused on an odd humming.

**"Satsuki. Everything has been leading to this, I couldn't be prouder..."**

I ignored him, I had to focus. I felt my horns extend. *TAM!* A heel struck the marble roughly. There she was... my darling mother. She was smiling smugly, arms crossed.

"Well... well... well... look who it is! My sweet daughter finally returned to me with her sister and that foolish boy that thinks that his justice is right..." she sighed wistfully. I looked upon her with disgust. This wasn't the mother I vaguely remembered from when I was younger, she was different until Ryuko was born, and then she took Kazuma.

All of her love and affection went to him. While I got cold indifference. I gritted my teeth. My rage bubbled up. I swore to never let my children feel unloved. At first, I thought Kazuma was an insufferable brat with no regard for personal property, he was an angry little thing. One time, I remember this clear as day, he ran. He ran screaming into the night, Kibonochi and Kouheisei in his arms.

He ran and ran, and I remember yelling to him to keep going, yet... he stopped, doubled back, and came back. I also remembered his first words to me after Ragyo punished him, _"I'm not running without you,"_

"This isn't about Kazuma! This is about my father!" I yelled. Ragyo smiled and just stood in place, a taunting smile on her lips. I hated that patronizing smile, I hated that overly assured, saccharine tone. I hated my mother. I hated her with every fiber of my being. Junketsu synced and I charged.

"I JUST WANTED A NORMAL LIFE! BUT NO! YOU HAD TO RUIN IT ALL! SO DIE! DIE AND RID THIS WORLD OF YOUR FILTHY PHILOSOPHY AND SCARRING HANDS!" my voice was like a rising tide of rage and pain, culminating in a slash at her, only to see her shatter.

"Ah... it looks like you're not the only one who's blinded by rage..." she sighed, summoning a monitor showing Kazuma tearfully dueling... himself? I continued my rage-filled slashes, my mind dead-set on one goal: Defeat Ragyo by any means necessary. The more the mirrors shattered, the more my anger continued to rise, and with it, my horns.

I felt something break inside me, something holding in all that rage and pent-up frustration. I smiled for the first time without being around my lover or my friends. Yet this wasn't a smile of joy, this was one of RAGE.

Ragyo smiled and she appeared in front of me, her eyes full of hatred.

"Finally, you come out of your shell... SATSUKI!" she yelled, charging at me. I readied Bakuzan. Only one of us would be alive at the end of this! I slashed, cutting Ragyo's hand off, it reattached.

**[RAGYO KIRYUIN.]**

**[World Ender, Rapist, CEO of REVOCS. Egg Donor. Need I go on?]**

We clashed, sending the mirrors around us into powder. I was full of rage, the power to resist. Ragyo was stronger, her affinity with the Life Fibers all the stronger. My humanity rose to meet it. I slashed strongly, angrily, my rage making my heart pound. My humanity was always stronger than hers. She never understood. My rage, my grief...

Both were my power. She could never understand what it was like to survive. All she ever did was take. She never gave her full self to anyone. Only to take it and ruin it. I never let up, my resolve keeping me grounded. Ragyo dodged and parried, her fists meeting my body brutally. The gap between us grew wider and wider and I was struggling, she knocked me down, Junketsu was barely holding together.

"Children never listen to their parents when they grow up, yet... when they're over their heads... THEY COME CRAWLING BACK!" she yelled, lifting me by the neck, the pressure on it increasing by the second.

"Take this as... my mercy, dear..." she cooed, almost crushing my windpipe. I shut my eyes, my blade useless.

"Hold on a moment... I wonder what Kazuma would think if I killed you in front of him? How wrathful would he get then? Ah well... his hands are full enough," Ragyo reasoned. She let me go, turning away.

"You're correct, all I do is take... but it doesn't matter, I win. You cannot fix what is not broken, right?" she asked.

I gritted my teeth, "What's your goal anyway?! Did you just have me and Ryuko to use us?! Did you take Kazuma because he was going to be useful?! He loved you! Yet love means nothing to conqueror parasites like you! You bled all of us dry! Most importantly, he and his father! Every time I look into that eye... I see a haunted man, I see a paranoid man that holds on so tightly to what he believes in..." I sighed.

I remembered the first night I gave myself to him, how tentative he was to say 'I love you'. How much he shook from how scared he was to lay it all down and love me. Ragyo poisoned him. Ragyo killed his father and mine. Two men that gave themselves for us. Every time I donned Junketsu, I felt his arms around me. My father's arms, hugging me, telling me that my path was right.

That night told me so much about my lover, how much he loved me and how tightly he held me... He held me more than Ragyo ever did. Ragyo watched me boil and seethe, yet I stayed calm on the outside, my eyes focused on her.

"My path is for all of humanity... not just those you select!" I snarled.

"When the time comes, would you die for that?" she asked.

"YES! I WOULD! I KNOW KAZUMA WOULD DO THE SAME! BECAUSE WE'RE THE SAME!" I thundered.

Ragyo smiled, yet this time... It felt like she had a moment of clarity... was I wrong? Did I see a... genuine smile out of her?

* * *

Dad was alive. After all this time... he was alive?! I mean, he looks odd. He's pale, tall. Tall, dude looks like he was put in a taffy puller. Well, not really, that's just his COAT. His golden eyes shined, he waved, his hood tilting up and revealing his face.

He smiled, "Hey there, kiddo!" he greeted, unsheathing a sword from his sleeve.

"Let's get started, okay?" he asked. I reluctantly grabbed my sword hilts, my dad's smile fell. My hands shook

"I know buddy... I know you don't wanna kill yer old man..." he sighed, "But our paths never got to cross until now... bring me your best, Kazuma!" I took off Kibonochi, I wanted to face him as a human, besides... I didn't want to reveal my trump card to Ragyo. She was watching, I could feel it.

I tied him around my waist, my tattoo proudly displayed. The cold air blew, my Gray Fiber arm's silver lining started to shine. just inside of his chest, a silver heart shined. Dad smiled, his eyes closed and breathed deep.

_**[SHINRA KOKETSU.]**_

_**[Goro Kaguya, your beloved Dad.]**_

This was my destiny. No more holding back. No more turning back. No more. If dad wants me to bring my best... THEN HE'LL GET IT! I felt my body move, bolting towards him, blades out. I had to suck it up. I slashed, sparks of power flying from them. I clashed with him, his strength was more than mine, but I could overwhelm him with my speed.

We exchanged blows, our eyes tracking the other's movements. This was not a display of power, only skill. He taught me the ways of the sword, and I then made my own way. I made it fast, science rather than an action. He feinted, nicking me on the cheek.

"C'mon, kiddo... you think you can fool me?" he chided. We clashed again, my mind swirling with memories. Memories of Dad smiling, of him, holding Nui and me and sleeping on the couch together. How we taught Nui how to walk together, and how much he loved to see me improve. My hands shook, my breath came fast, and I dropped my blades, the rain fell, drenching us and bathing me in tears.

Dad stopped, retracting his blade and holding his arms out, "Kazuma..." he sighed.

I ran into his arms, hugging him tightly, sobbing.

"Don't worry about your old man, I'm okay with this path... I'm okay..." he whispered. The rain fell faster, and he held me tight.

"I'm so proud, son, I'm so proud of the dragon you became... I was never meant to be one... I was meant to be the demon... You chased me for so long, you wanted me back so badly... that you sacrificed your arm and eye to get this far..." he sighed, his grip on me tightening.

"I don't want to say goodbye again... not to you or Nui... I want to be your father again! I want to see what beautiful stories you both leave behind... Yet I know that I can't," he sighed deeply, he pushed me off him, grabbing my shoulders.

"Don't let the flame die out with you, Kazuma... I see it. That flame. That spark in you... let it grow into a passionate inferno! Let it burn the past away! I'm so proud of you, Kazuma... so proud, I'm gonna annoy the shit outta your Mom and Soichiro about how awesome you are! They're gonna hear it non-stop! Then, when you and Nui get up there... I wanna hear all about it, the life you two led, not what we carved out," he intoned, handing me an ornate blade.

"That's the blade you need, Kouheisei was a good blade while he lasted... and his brothers Koudari and Koudashi... but they were made with Life Fibers. That beauty is Kourajin... passed down for as long as the Kaguyas and Kiryuins have existed. The two Kou blades were going to be for you and your sister, I intended Kouheisei for her and Kourajin was going to be yours," he explained, handing it over.

I unsheathed it, seeing the bright silver blade shine in the light breaking out of the clouds, seeing Dad whisk away and I sheathed it. I watched him go, knowing that he'd die with Ragyo. Knowing that no matter what I did...

I couldn't get him back.

'Welcome to the family, Kourajin...' I thought.

* * *

I punched a COVER out of the way, "Takarada! Get off your damn phone!" I thundered angrily, dieseling through them as Takarada kept on posing and making faces at his phone as we were trying to get to Lord Kazuma.

"MEN DOU KOTE!" Uzu yelled, smacking more of them out of the way.

"Aw! I wanna keep m'streak up!" Takarada whined.

"Look, man, no one is gonna give a shit if everyone's dead! SO PUT IT UP! MENDOUKOTE!" Uzu screamed. We were plowing through COVERS, trying to get to Kazuma so we can meet up. I heard the steps of our Lord come down the hall, he was holding an ornate silver blade and the COVERS dogpiled him. He slashed them out of the way, going towards where Lady Satsuki was. He said nothing.

We all held the line, waiting for him to say something. Some final words to encourage and guide us.

Yet he said nothing. All he did was look at us, smile, and leave.

"Kazuma!" I yelled.

"Kazzy!" Takarada called.

"Kaz!" Uzu barked.

He said nothing and soldiered on. He had a destiny. His eye was bright. His sword sharp. He was the perfect warrior. Born and bred to end the tyranny of Life Fibers. After this... we didn't know where he'd end up. But wherever he goes... WE'LL FOLLOW. That's what we swore and promised. To hell and back. No matter the weather.

Kazuma is the dragon we decided to swear our swords to. Kazuma and Satsuki were the dragons we decided to follow. We silently walked together, being joined by Satsuki, Nonon, and Mankanshoku.

* * *

"HARIME!" I roared, charging at the bitch who killed my dad with her base right by my side. Kaguya wasn't as bad as Harime, she was quite the fighter... Harime was backed into a corner and I rose to meet her, with Kaguya trying to get the other half of the scissors. I slashed at Harime.

"Aww! Too bad, Ryuko! You'll never get to my Mama Ragyo!" Harime chirped, a pink blur shot by me, Kaguya bowled her over, the scissor half skittering out of her hands. She started to bash her face in.

"NEVER! CALL! HER! THAT! I'M FUCKING TIRED OF HEARING THAT NAME IN MY HEAD! I'M TIRED WITH YOU! I'M TIRED! TIRED! TIRED! TIRED! TIRED! TIRED!" she screamed, beating the hell out of her. Harime tried to struggle, but Kaguya never. Let. Up. I scooped up the other half.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Kaguya screamed aloud. She beat her clone to death. She gasped and huffed, covered in blood. Her little body tremored and her eyes closed. Her hair billowed outward, the other Nui's body dispersed into red fibers, becoming gray and digging into her skin.

"Ryuko... would you believe me and Harime were friends once? I made her because... because I was lonely..." Nui sighed, her hands still coated in red. I knelt beside her. I held the scissor half out to her.

"What she did wasn't your fault, okay?" I assured. Nui nodded but refused the scissor half.

"I want you to have it, Ryuko. We're almost through this... and then we'll hash it outright!" she promised. Holding out her hand.

"Hahhh... seein' as we'll prob'ly be related at this point... why the hell not?" I huffed, accepting her hand and helping her up. I bonded with my soon-to-be sister in law. Who knew that beatin' psychotic lolita would bring people together? Eh... Nui just smiled wryly and walked by my side. We joined the others, seeing them all gathered up, our fearless leaders had been silent.

* * *

We came before the ornate door, just beyond it was the future. Either we win or lose... No one will survive on either side. Hoomaru was shot down, torn apart by the vengeful Warboys. Harime was beaten to death. I clenched Kourajin's hilt.

"Everyone... I don't have long... I know we've made it this far... I just want you all to know, whatever happens to me... whatever happens to us... It's been an honor. I'm ready to die. I've been ready for a long time... I just don't know why she wants to destroy this world... whatever it did to her made her hateful and destroy people we all held dear. All of us have skin in this game... bones to pick, and lives to make! I may die... but... know that I do this because it's my destiny," I admitted.

I unsheathed my swords, Koudari and Koudashi's final fight was here! The door opened, and light spilled out a bright and scalding spectrum.

_**"Kazuma... easy does it... stay frosty,"**_

We edged in, with our weapons at the ready. I took point, Uzu and Takarada the sides, Satsuki and Ryuko the middle, Ira at our six. Everyone edged through the room, it seemed to be a bedroom slash throne room, I shuddered to think what Ragyo was doing to my dad in that bed... or maybe... It was meant for me. Bile rose in my throat, considering how hideous she made love for me. How ugly it looked and felt... my only remedy being Satsuki's love, so pure and beautiful.

"Isn't this a surprise? My family... all together? Oh, it'd bring tears to my eyes..." Ragyo's voice echoed. We didn't see her anywhere. We all readied ourselves. Ragyo stepped out, her slender arms and shoulders, legs too, and face as well glowed with red markings. I glanced at the red strings. I felt my strands start to writhe. Odo Nobunaga united Japan with the same strands I had in my body.

I parted them, and they all looked at me with disbelief. History burned in my veins. We circled each other.

"Why do you fight me, Kazuma?" she asked. I didn't respond, my hands clenching the hilt harshly. I hated it. I hated it all. I hated her. I had enough of her games. I blitzed in, Koudari and Koudashi slashing so fast and so forcefully that the strain was making them start to crack.

"JUST DIE!" I screamed, my blades shattered. I sent my fist into her gut, barely staggering her. I continued my offensive, seeing the others fighting by my side, Satsuki's blade flashed in sometimes, two red blades, maybe a white needle or a crab claw, a fist or a metal pole. I was relentless, not heeding Kibonochi's advice.

Except for one line.

_**"KAZUMA! SHE'S GONNA-"**_

"Come to me, Sweet Shinra!" she yelled, stretching her arms out, Dad whisked into her arms, and a bright light blew away the rest of the room, scalding and burning everything black. I unsheathed Kourajin.

"I will annihilate the sinners... STARTING WITH YOU, KAZUMA!" she screamed, I felt something stab me through the chest rapidly, blood shot out of the wound, coating the floor, my eye became blurry... all I heard was Satsuki scream.

"KAZUMA!" Satsuki's voice sounded so distant... yet all I saw was Ragyo in a long red and white dress, her arms spread wide with shafts of rainbow light floating above her hands. She caught me, holding me close, her hand stroking my hair. Her arms and body thrummed with power, she fused with the Primordial Life Fiber...

"Shh... be quiet, dear..." she cooed.

She... was unbeatable now... My eye started to close.

"Goodnight... dear Kazuma... when you wake up, this world will be gone, and in its place a new garden of Eden..." she sighed. Everything faded out and I knew no more.


	19. Episode 19: If My Bird Doesn't Sing

**[Episode 19: If My Bird Doesn't Sing, I Will Kill It.]**

**Final OP: Traitor's Requiem**

**Kazuma looks up at the stars as the logo fades in, the shot bursts apart, showing our teams of heroes, Satsuki and Kazuma. Ryuko and Nui. The Sworn Brothers and Elite Four. Then there's Ragyo, Hoomaru, and the other Nui in their respective ways, with a mysterious Pale Swordsman there too.****  
**

* * *

This was insanity. Plain and simple. Ragyo held Kazuma's lifeless body tightly, the blood staining her Kamui red. My world went slow. Everything sounded so distant... Ryuko tried to snap me out of it. Kourajin fell out of Kazuma's limp hand, Ragyo sat, holding him and waiting. He laid in her arms, bleeding. his eye closed, his mouth was closed too. He looked like he was sleeping.

My chest heaved, my eyes blurred with tears. No... No... Not him... Not Kazuma. Not my best friend... not the man I love... Not the dragon that reached so high, that achieved so much!

"KAZUMA!" I screamed, breaking down into sorrowful sobs, I fell to my knees, remembering his last words to me. Just me.

_"Satsuki, whatever happens in there... don't forget me, carry on my story. If the Gray Fibers don't heal me, that's it. My story is done,"_

"Isn't he beautiful... Satsuki? The perfect man to carry on the war... to carry on MY bloodline... that's why I took him, I set him apart for my new world," Ragyo crooned, pulling the sheets of the bed back, putting him down on the mattress and tenderly tucking him in.

"Yet you... you failure... corrupted my perfect mate...made him think that he had a choice! Haha! The choice is for the weak-willed!" she laughed, planting a kiss on his lips, staring at me.

"No. You ruined him... you made him think that love was bought with pain! The number of times Soroi and I were there to pick him up and dust him off... make him shine again... Every time he said he loved you. Every scar, every blank-eyed stare... I knew that he was lying to himself... He did it all for me! And what did I do for him? I just... I just let him go! I FELL FOR HIM!" I screamed, tears streaming down my face, seeing his body lying in that bed, his eye closed, his mouth closed in peaceful sleep...

God, I felt so useless...

Nui stepped up, her eyes filled with tears. Her hands shaking. Ira slammed the ground with his fists, roaring out a challenge. Takarada and Uzu readied themselves. Ryuko and Mankanshoku stood back to back, everyone, rallied for the fight of our lives. Man, woman, child... all for the man that reunited humanity against a threat that he knew he couldn't stop.

"Kazuma taught me that you have to sacrifice yourself... you have to die many times for those you love... his love is what drove him! His determination is my own! He is the dragon that climbed the waterfall! I will not let his death be in vain! He united humanity! He knew the risks of the game he was playing... but now? I know the way! The way is treacherous!" I declared, unsheathing Bakuzan and feeling Junketsu writhe.

**"Satsuki, it's time."**

"I will NOT let you destroy humanity! Not while I, Satsuki Kiryuin, draw breath! Everyone! CHARGE!" I yelled. I clicked my panels, feeling the pain and grief tear me to pieces, tear me to bloody shreds inside.

"PAIN INFUSION: KAMUI JUNKETSU!" I yelled, Shizui activated on the spot, my aura glowing with my pain and grief fueling it all. I clashed harshly with Ragyo, with Nui and Ryuko by my side. The remaining COVERS busted through the walls, engaging the others. Ira and Uzu held them back from us to give us adequate space, I heard the repeating cries of a Glock and MEN! DOU! KOTE! and a MUDA! Thrown in for flavor.

There were even croquettes being thrown at them!

My boyfriend had dorky friends... and my little sister's best friend was RIDICULOUS...

All three of us participated in the blade rush, with Ragyo laughing and growing smaller. She looked younger as well. She looked to be in her twenties. Her eyes still burned red and her body was covered in odd markings. Her hair was longer, sweeping down to her neck, her eyes still held the insane glint. Shinra Koketsu was slowly dominating Junketsu Shizui.

**"Satsuki? Is it just me or is Ragyo getting younger as the fight progresses?"**

Junketsu was right, she was getting younger. She sent a wave of light out, sweeping all of us but Nui and Ryuko away.

"You have no hope... you have no chance... your trump card IS MINE! AND NO ONE WILL STOP ME FROM CREATING MY PARADISE!" She screamed, unsheathing two blades and charging at me. Getting in the way was Ryuko in a red and orange version of Senketsu! She broke the clash, combining the two scissor blades into one.

"What?! How did you-" Ragyo gasped, she was enraged. Ryuko smirked.

"Whew! Finally figured out how to get that snazzy form workin'! I ain't too behind ya now, sis!" Ryuko chided.

"Careful, sister, that your hubris does not cloud your judgment..." I warned. We stood shoulder-to-shoulder. Nui joined us, her hair frazzled and her face coated in blood.

"Are you all... zombies?!" Ragyo groaned, "At least this will all be over soon..." she sighed, looking towards the bed. I snarled.

"Don't you dare take your eyes off us! He doesn't matter, not now!"

Ragyo gave us all a feral smile, her blades at the ready. All three of us charged back in, vanishing at the last second. She was skewered by all of us as the others fought through the COVER hordes, at this point both the Warboys and REVOCS joined forces to end it all. All of humanity's hearts beat as one. Yet... if only Kazuma was up to see all this happen...

There was no rest, no reprieve. She looked... like me. Hell, I was the spitting image of her! I hated it! I knew that Kazuma wouldn't look at me in the same way, that's why I grew out my hair, that's why I kept it black. So he wouldn't be afraid of me. So I could show him what pure love is. Every time I saw a silver streak, I got rid of it. I am not her. I am not Ragyo.

Shinra Koketsu grew a thruster and blasted Ragyo into the sky, and I heard her scream of absolute pleasure, my eyes narrowed.

"Junketsu! Shizui Shippu!" I yelled I blasted into the sky, past the dome of azure and into the inky void of space. Following the monster out to destroy this world and bring it to its knees. My weapon raised high, Ryuko's scissors at the ready, we both screamed into battle. She kept us back with light bullets, but it didn't matter! No one will beat me to my ambition! No one will stop me!

Everyone was fighting so hard, and I wanted to fulfill Kazuma's dream... to live a happy life free of worry. A life with Ragyo in it was no life. A life with the specter of the past breathing down your neck was no life. A life without the man that held you as you cried and gently loved you with all of his stupid heart was no life! I sped up to Ragyo, raising my spear high above my head.

'Kazuma my love, please, I need your strength!' I thought, clashing with Ragyo as Ryuko's scissors went into Decapitation mode.

* * *

The battle for humanity continued... as the Dragon slumbered in limbo. He was caught off-guard, lost within the waves between life and death as the woman he loves leads the charge into the jaws of death. 'If only I'd seen it faster... gotten out of the way...' he thought, trying so desperately to wake up again. But the bed was so soft, and he was warm.

He was warm and safe. He slept, not paying attention. Not heeding the call.

_"Wake up, child, no descendant of mine slumbers while the woman who has his heart fights on."_

"Mm... leave me alone..." I groaned, rolling over.

_"Kazuma Kaguya, you're a coward! Unworthy of the title of Dragon! You've climbed the waterfall, but you have not changed your heart! That woman... she has ruined you! You should be burning with the desire for revenge! Your name means to rise above superiority! Yet, you have grown soft upon your moment of triumph!"_

"Leave me alone... can't you see I'm not strong enough?!" I yelled, burying my face into the pillows, not willing to face the man that was yelling at me. He sounded so familiar to me. Like, Dad.

"Kazuma! My love, please! I need your strength!"

Satsuki.

"Kazuma, Ain'tcha a dragon? What in the hell are y' doing?! Get up an' help us waste this bitch!"

Ryuko.

"Kazzy! Big brother! Don't end up like Mommy and Daddy! I can't lose you!"

Nui...

"Lord Kazuma, as your shield, I have failed, but as your brother, I am telling you to STAND! SO STAND AND STAND PROUD!"

Ira...

"C'mon, Wormie! Do you think Ragyo can keep ya down? I've seen ya down ghost peppers and kiss Satsuki with the juice still on yer lips!"

Nonon...

"Bro! I need my homie! You always kept m'streak up! My Glock's runnin' outta bullets!"

Kaneo...

"C' mawn man, remember Bad Boyz? We gotta sing Judgement again!"

Uzu...

"C'mon, Lord Kazuma! Lady Satsuki loves you a lot! A ton! A buttload! So pick up that sword and get outta that real comfy bed! Ragyo sucks! I know you wanna kill 'er! So get up and get going! You got a lot going for you! You're AWESOME! You, yes, you! YOU ARE A DRAGGGGGGOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNN!"

Mankanshoku...

_"Do you hear them? They call for you! They call for the dragon! They call for the one who will right this wrong! Who will assist with healing the hurts of this world! Your bird does not sing, so kill that bird!"_

I opened my eyes, the bed was cold, so cold. Yet the man standing before me was wearing an oddly familiar coat and armor. His eyes glew silver and he was holding Kourajin out to me. He was the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven, Odo Nobunaga, the first of the Kaguya line. The man who harnessed the Gray Fibers for a noble cause regardless of the bloodshed. A legend was holding my blade out to ME.

His lips stretched into a small smirk and his silver eyes twinkled, the Gray Fibers wheeling through the air.

_"Rise. Son of Goro, Son of Flavia. My descendant. You wield my blade with honor and determination... I may be the villain in our history, yet through the Gray Fibers, I have lived many a life... Though your heart is weakened by honeyed words and ravished by a woman with no honor, who makes beauty sinful... your soul is truly that of a dragon!"_

I tore the sheets off, my wound healed, seeing the sky before me. Seeing the bright stars clashing on high. Ira and the others gawked as I walked towards them, my eye aflame, my hands clenching my sword.

"Lord Kazuma?!"

"Kazzy?!"

"Dude?"

Everyone gathered around me, "Kept you waiting, huh?" I asked.

"Dude, I dropped 'bout fifty COVERS for y' sleepy ass!" Kaneo sobbed. He hugged me tightly, blubbering. I pushed him off and looked to the skies.

_**"You better get moving, kid, Satsuki doesn't have a lot of time! You're the only one with enough power right now... She needs her dragon... your tattoo is a Seriyu dragon, you have to guide your generation on the correct path, I know you can do it!"**_

"My sword is no tool of justice... nor is it for revenge... It's for the real Nobunaga, the one who's fighting up there with all she's got to save this world... Acceptance Infusion: KAMUI KIBONOCHI!" I screamed, Ryuken blazing a bright silver, accepting that I wasn't the one to end this... that I paved the way to the correct path...

"I'm coming, Satsuki!" I yelled, flying up into the sky, flying further, seeing Ryuko and Satsuki fighting Ragyo, I blasted in, my Gray Fiber fist meeting her face, sending her flying. She looked like a silver and rainbow-haired version of Satsuki! Shinra Koketsu's power output was too much for Ragyo's body to take, so she de-aged the more time she spent in that thing.

"Guh! What the-" she snapped.

"Kazuma?" Satsuki mumbled.

"Sorry to keep ya waiting! I slept for too long..." I sighed. I unbelted Kourajin, knowing that this wasn't my revenge, I held it out to her. I've come so far, just to give up what I was fighting for all this time. I didn't need to do this. Satsuki grew up with Ragyo, she'd been tortured and humiliated, and I knew she was holding on to that pain until it burned her hand.

That's what drove Junketsu Shizui. Yet, my love and acceptance are what drove Ryuken. What drove Kisaragi was rage. What drove Shinra Koketsu was dominance, insanity. I'm here to rewrite the poem of the world to kill the bird that sang it into life in the first place!

"Satsuki... finish what we've started..." I huffed.

She took my sword from me, her eyes taking in that I was alive.

"Kazuma... you... you GODDAMN IDIOT!" she yelled, pulling me into her arms, squeezing so tightly I could've sworn that she could've killed me if she squeezed any harder.

"Guys, while I hate to break up the tender moment between you two, we're fightin' a goddess... so GET'CHER ASSES IN GEAR!" Ryuko yelled. Ragyo gained a rainbow halo around herself, Ryuko and Satsuki charged for one last strike, one last blow. Kibonochi blazed gold, my hand closing into a fist, the restraining bands broke and I felt my body move, Kibonochi burned around me and I let out a roar in a challenge.

"RAGYO KIRYUIN! WE, THE DRAGONS OF HANNOUJI, SENTENCE YOU TO DEATH!" Satsuki and I screamed, she carved out her heart and I grabbed it in my Gray Fiber hand.

"Hahhh! K-Kazuma... baby... Please... do you want this world to continue to suffer? I know you don't want that... I know you and your father never wanted that... You know I'd never hurt you... you know tha- GAHHH!" She screamed as I squeezed her heart a little.

"You don't know how long I've been waiting to see you like this... you hurt me and Satsuki... you killed my mom... you killed my dad... you killed your husband and you think I'm going to show you mercy?! Every time I'll close my eye I'll see you! I'll never get to be rid of you! You'll always be in my head and I'll never get you out! You... you..." I started to tear up.

"You. Ruined. Me," I snarled, crushing her heart in my hand, feeling her arms around me, letting go and floating peacefully into space... That's when Ryuken took its toll and forced me to pass out. I heard some last words from Ragyo.

"Forgive me... Flavia... Goro... Soichiro... this was... this wasn't what I wanted..."

* * *

Dark. Cold. My ears were ringing. I was falling. My arm was busted, fixing itself. Did we win? I can't… I can't see. I tried to open my eye. I tried to move. No dice.

_**Kazuma. It's time. It's all over. You won. We won! I'm… I'm so proud… It's time for the morning to come… it's time to let go. It's time to grow up, Kazuma. It's time for you to live your life to the fullest extent you can.**_

_**Sayonara, Space Samurai…**_

"KIBO! KIBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" I howled, the ringing in my ears stopped. I felt myself slam into someone, black hair fell softly around me, Satsuki was leaning over me, it was cold again. Her warm arms wrapped around me.

"I found you…" she sighed.

* * *

It's hard to wake up. It's hard to wake up in Russia of all places, how did I end up here? Satsuki wrapped me in her parka, my body shuddering, feeling how warm she was. I held on tightly, and her soft, warm lips kissed me. God, I wanted to stay in her arms forever… I buried my face into her raven locks as she carried me towards the waiting helicopter. I was too weak to move, my arm was stitching itself back together.

"We all landed at separate spots, Atlantis fell into the sea and… and we lost you. You didn't come down after a while… I'm so glad you're okay!" Satsuki sniffed, starting to sob, burying her face into the crook of my neck, her warm tears making me smile. She was worried about little ol' me? Why was I so surprised?

"Kazzy!" Nui squealed, running and hugging me tightly, "You're alive! You're alive!" she cheered, smiling up at me. Ryuko was towards the back, smirking and tossing a set of clothes at me. I put them on, the familiar long coat made me smile.

"Welcome back from the dead, Kaz," Ryuko said.

"I still owe you a rematch, right?" I asked.

"Yeah, but take it up with my sis first," she teased. I smirked and looked down at my sword, It was proudly situated next to Bakuzan. Kourajin served me well. I wouldn't need it anymore. I grinned and Soroi smiled, the old man was still ever-loyally by Satsuki's side. I guess some things never change, do they?

"Lord Kazuma," he greeted warmly.

"Don't call me that, Soroi…" I sighed. I sat down next to Satsuki, who pulled me into her arms.

"Why ever not, sir?" he asked.

"Well... I'm not a lord of anything... it's an empty title..." I sighed.

"Technically you ARE courting Lady Satsuki..." Soroi reasoned, "For as long as I've known you I've always called you 'Lord' or 'Sir' so I shall keep doing it..."

I shrugged, but I still felt cold despite Satsuki loving on me. I took a deep breath, remembering that I offended Soroi the last time I had his tea. I felt bad about it ever since, and he never made me another cup again...

"Soroi, can I... have a cup of tea?" I mumbled. Soroi looked like he might've started crying at that very moment. His smile was bright.

"Of course, sir," he said, barely even a ripple of emotion in his voice. Yet, his eyes said it all. He deftly made it and passed the cup to me. My arm was repairing steadily, I took it gently, and I took a sip of the warm, bitter liquid and smiled.

"Soroi... it's not bitter..." I sighed.

"Were you expecting it to be?" he asked.

"No... it... feels good. I was a little brat that never understood that life is bittersweet back then.

"Sir, that is the highest praise a man like me can ever get..." he said.

"You're welcome, Soroi, and please... don't stop making tea for Satsuki and me," I sighed.

* * *

"So… we won, huh?" I asked. She nodded and tipped my face towards hers. The helicopter ride passed in relative silence, with me scarcely believing that things were real. That we won.

"I love you so much, Kazuma..." she sighed, planting a kiss on my forehead. We landed and the back opened up. Light spilled into the cabin and we got up, holding hands and seeing everything before us. The Last Bastion was broken down and used for parts, Atlantis was in the ocean, and the world was healing. I watched it all happen with a smile on my face.

Here comes the first step of the rest of my life... a life that I paved the way for, with my darling Satsuki by my side.

_The war is over, and we are beginning._

* * *

_**AN: And with that, Dancing Dragons comes to a close. It's been a long three months with everything, and I wanna say thanks. Thanks for reading, thanks for even looking at this dumpster fire that took three matches to start. I'm already cobbling together a sequel and I hope to see you all when I post it. Could be today, could be tomorrow...**_

_**But, even for a minute I never felt pride in my work until now, I just want to thank you all. I'm not expecting this to reach intense levels of popularity with fanart and a TV Tropes page. I just hope and pray to my odd god in the sky that you enjoyed and want to read this as many times as you want. I know it barely resembles the series too... but still! I hope you enjoyed it.**_

_**With much love, and many thanks,**_

_**My Hero XIII.**_


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